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The tome titled Racial Phylogeny is resting softly in his lap. According to Jinki finishing it would help him learn to heal more easily. His back was up against the cool stone of one of the two thick columns on each end of the bisecting wall. To his right were Jinki’s plants and twinkling lights of his garden. His feet boots were pushed under the bed and his armor was hung up. It wasn’t often he needed it on for an extended period of time lately, but he didn’t mind that very much. Since returning to the College from meeting his Mother and getting engaged, all he could say about his relationship with Jinki was that it had gotten better. If that were possible. If something was bothering Jinki he was more open in bringing it up himself. Jonghyun had caught him a few times just gazing down at the ring on his finger and his cheeks painting a light pink once he realized he had been spotted.
The sound of Taemin’s increasingly more frustrated mumbles made Jonghyun softly look up from his book, closing it gently to rest it on his thigh completely. Jinki and Taemin had worked really hard to build their relationship up to what it should have been like brothers. Currently, Jinki was attempting to teach Taemin the stretch routine that he did daily. Supposedly it was thought to increase the flow of Magicka throughout the body and helped decrease fatigue. Being that Jonghyun was not a mage, and certainly not one as powerful as Jinki, he decided to believe his husband to be. Attempting was the keyword there because try as he might Taemin could not balance on his hand to save his life.
Jinki was the picture of balance and calm, his right leg straight above him and leg bent to hook his foot behind the other knee. His hair was beginning to fall from the tie he had pulled it back in, a bit curling and sticking to his damp forehead. His feet were bare and the only garment on his body was his loose pants. The tight bands around his ankles kept them from riding down his legs throughout the routine. His face was a bit red, but he quietly laughed as he looked over at his little brother. “Taemin, you must focus.”
“I AM focusing.”
“On your anger maybe.” Jinki slowly switched his legs before doing the same with his arms, moving his right up off the ground and holding it behind his back. “You can do a handstand. It’s not that much different.”
While Jinki shirtless was always a sight to behold, being witness to how much strength the man really possessed was almost breathtaking. With how many times he had sat by the fire at one of their camps and watched Jinki go through his routine in the early morning sunlight, he knew the movements by heart. The first time Jinki had done it with his back turned toward him, Jonghyun had realized how much Jinki trusted him. While that seemed like forever ago, it warmed his chest to realize how their lives had fitted together.
Taemin’s arm began to wobble and before Jonghyun could blink he was toppling over. He crashed into Jinki and both fell onto the stone ground in a tangle of limbs and curses. Jonghyun was halfway up in a rush to figure out if they were injured when the loud laughter burst from the pile of brothers. “Who falls sideways?”
“Me.” Taemin stuck his tongue out before swatting at Jinki’s stomach.
Shaking his head, Jonghyun slowly slid back down the column. His book was picked up from where it had slid down his thigh. He was still smiling as the two high elves began to bicker again, but it was such a wonderful sound to him. It sounded like home.
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Jinki was grinning across from him, flexing his fingers on the swords in his hands. It was different than the two-handed weapon he used back before he became a mage, but Minho had taught him many things other than how to use a bow. This late in the evening there weren’t any classes held in the Hall of the Elements, which meant they could use it to practice with their weapons. At first, it started to train Jinki how to protect himself with something other than his magic if something like Muzlft occurred again, but then once he realized Jinki could hold his own, sparring had become a regular thing. Jinki twirled his wrist as he taunted, “Ready to get your ass kicked again?”
“That last one didn’t count.” Sure Jinki had him pinned, but he hadn’t tapped out so it didn’t count. He’d die on that hill.
“Sure, Jingles, Sure.” Then with more speed than he should have, Jinki had his blades up and clashing against the handle of his ax. He held them there and leaned between them, breath visible in the cool air of the room. “Come on Darling. Show me what you got.”
Both of their shirts were sticking to their skin in places. They had been at this for some time, switching out weapons to mix things up. This was for all or nothing, and Jonghyun had to win. Jinki’s talent was with his hands and the magic he produced. Jonghyun couldn’t be a warrior and lose a spar to a mage, even if it was Jinki. “I think someone’s getting cocky.”
He pushed out, dislodging their weapons, but Jinki was quick on the attack again. It went on like that with them exchanging soft blows to each other and switching who had the advantage until Jonghyun noticed the temperature had decreased. Far too late it would seem as he twirled to see frost swirl from under Jinki’s nose, a big smile on his face through the flurry. Before Jonghyun could do anything, his feet slipped from under him and his back crashed against the ice-covered floor with a loud groan. “Cheater!”
When Jinki offered his hands down, his swords were resting on the floor behind him. He had no right to be that pretty when Jonghyun was mad at him, with his hair in disarray and his shirt falling from one shoulder showing off the love marks from their previous night together near his collar bone. “You didn’t specifically say I couldn’t make you slip on ice, so technically I didn’t cheat.”
Jonghyun pushed hard at his chest, making him stumble, but the insufferable bastard gained his balance way too easily. He rolled his shoulder and grimaced. “You owe me a hot bath. With the fancy salts.”
Jinki’s entire demeanor softened as he stepped closer, hand coming out to cup around Jonghyun’s jaw. “Are you alright? I’m sorry.”
It was almost like a slap across the face with how quick and genuine the shift from teasing pain in the ass to the sweetest man alive was. Jinki’s hands were extra warm and a little rough from the added weapon work, but their touch was just as comforting as they always were. His other hand came up to gently push against the shoulder that hurt, his healing working into the muscle with the warm familiarity Jonghyun knew so well. “It’s alright. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Jinki’s magic faded slowly, pulling from him as the pain vanished along with it. He stepped closer, brushing his nose up the side of his face into his hair by his temple, lips brushing his cheek. “I played dirty. I never meant to hurt you.”
“I like it when you play dirty.” Softly holding Jinki’s hips, he leaned forward into him, wanting to be as close as he could. He squeezed his hand roughly, putting more pressure on Jinki’s hips than necessary. The little intake of breath against his cheek tells Jonghyun how much his lover enjoyed it.
Jinki chuckled causing warm breathes to fan across Jonghyun’s skin. “Now who’s playing dirty?”
Jonghyun was never as relieved as he was then that Taemin had that test the following morning and would be studying the rest of the night as Jinki gripped his wrist and tugged him toward their front door. Their weapons are forgotten on the floor to be cleaned up at a later time as their minds shift to more pressing issues.
He could get used to this.