Work Text:
1.
“General! Keep your head up straight!”
Encore huffs from her spot, hands intertwining strands of azure hair together, next to her, Aalto laughs as he leans forward.
“Getting sleepy, General Jiyan?”
There is something gentle in his tone that makes Encore look up, she lets out a small gasp at the pair of reddening ears peeking from strands of green.
Before she can speak, General Jiyan lets out a cough. “My apologies, Encore. It was not my intention to fall asleep.”
“Are you tired, General?” Encore asks, tilting her head curiously, “Uncle Aalto said you’ve been very busy.”
“The workload has been getting heavier lately, but it is nothing you need to worry about. The wind and atmosphere here made me feel relaxed, that is all.” Ignoring Aalto’s displeased face at being called uncle, Jiyan patiently explains to the little girl.
“For someone who threw a fit when I, quote, “disrupt your work–”” Aalto pipes up, making air quotes with his hands, “you seem to be enjoying yourself a lot, General.”
“I didn’t throw a fit, just merely stating the truth.” Jiyan crosses his arms defensively, “and I am off duty, call me Jiyan.”
“Aha!” Aalto playfully shoves the other man, “so now you’re off duty–”
“Stop moving!” Encore yelps.
2.
“Feeling lonely, General?” A voice pipes up behind Jiyan, unmistakable with the way he makes General sound more like a nickname than a title.
“Jiyan,” he corrects, smiling softly at the man sitting down beside him, “and I’m merely enjoying the night, Aalto, but I’ll never turn down your company.”
“My my,” Aalto laughs softly, a pretty pink blush coloring his cheeks, “what a charmer. Is this how you speak to people who share wine with you, or am I a special case?”
Jiyan looks at him, amusement clear in his eyes, “sharing wine with me already makes you more special than the rest.”
“You’re right,” Aalto huffs when he remembers their reputation, “not much companionship for people like us, huh.”
They drink into the night, the world nothing but themselves, the moon and their cups. Silently, Jiyan lets the warmth from the alcohol and his company lay over him like a blanket, holding onto it so that tomorrow he remembers what he’s fighting for. He gazes at Aalto, trying to imprint into his memory how the light makes him glow. With his body painted platinum, cheeks rosy from the wine, Aalto seems to shine with the stars behind him.
Jiyan will readily give up his time, his spear, his life for Jinzhou and her people.
Moments like these, he keeps for himself.
He’s so enamored with the way the liquor turns Aalto’s lips pink that it took him a while to realize they are moving. When he’s finally focused, the other man is giggling at him.
“Are you drunk already, Jiyan?” Aalto slurs his name a bit at the end, and Jiyan tries to suppress the shiver that goes down his spine.
“I should be asking you that question,” he hums, “I didn’t expect you to be a lightweight.”
“Mmm..” Aalto leans back, throwing his head and baring his neck to the wind, Jiyan can feel his mouth go dry. “I don’t drink much, don't feel secure doing it.”
“You didn’t have to drink for me, then.”
Half-lidded eyes look back at him, a lazy smile on his lips. “But I feel safe with you.”
Jiyan feels drunk, and he doesn’t think it’s on alcohol.
3.
“Pose, Jiyan! You have to pose!”
Aalto laughs at Jiyan’s expression on the camera. They are visiting a local festival tonight, and he has jumped on the opportunity to get the usually stoic general wrapped up in his various shenanigans, under the guise of helping him babysit Verina and Encore, of course.
Which is why they are both here now, doing cat paws at a photo booth on their definitely-not-a-date.
Well, one of them is doing it at least, because Jiyan’s face is so red he thinks the man is about to explode. It’s pretty damn cute, and Aalto is definitely framing this picture when he gets home.
General Cutie huffs from his place beside him, “are you trying to hog up the booth, Aalto? We’ve been here for hours.”
“It’s been barely 10 minutes!” Aalto grins back at him, his face the perfect picture of a cat who got the cream. “Are you trying to run away, Jiyan?”
“I am just saying,” Jiyan’s face goes impossibly redder, “I’m sure there are other… nightly activities we could participate in before this day ends.”
And woa-
Now Aalto’s the one who’s flustered. He’s pretty sure Jiyan didn’t mean it like that , but sue him.
He lets out a nervous laugh, mind racing for a reply when–
“ Uncle Aaltoooo ,” Encore shouts from afar, probably gaining attention from anyone within a ten mile radius, “Encore and Verina want to try this candy!”
Thank the gods for little children with no social etiquette.
4.
Aalto tiptoes through the room, trying to not disturb the figure sleeping soundly on the office table.
He planned to visit Jiyan earlier, swinging by just to remind him to take some rest, but an unplanned ambush held him back on the way. When he finally made it through Jiyan’s office window, the green lump he saw already told him everything he needed to know.
Jiyan’s hair is in disarray, strands falling down in the night that he couldn’t be bothered to put up. His red eyeliner is smudged in the corners, there is still ink on his fingertips.
And yet, he’s still the most beautiful person Aalto has ever laid his eyes on.
Kind, kind Jiyan whose gentleness carries through his actions, whose hands were never made to kill but took up the mantle anyways. Who is in equal parts endearing and infuriating in his tendency to put his people before himself.
Huffing to himself, Aalto let his hand hovers over Jiyan’s face. There but never touching.
He wants to trace the other man’s lips, let his fingers skim over each of his scars and scales and dimples. He wants to bury his face between the dip of his collarbones, card his hand through azure hair and press down at all the sore spots Jiyan gets after harsh fights and late nights looking at reports.
But he can’t, so he settles for stolen glances, and let the fact that he’s lovesick digs into him like tree roots instead.
5.
Jiyan desperately holds onto the branches, trying to steady himself and the person slung over his shoulder. He can hear Aalto muffling his laughter into his hands.
“Why did you run at me like that– Stop laughing!” He hisses.
Aalto just laughs harder, “I didn’t expect you to run with me! Or fling us both onto a tree!”
Under them, children roam around, looking for the familiar silver figure that is their target. They look very serious. Jiyan doesn’t remember being this scary at ten, much less about tag.
He is about to respond when he sees a child look up out of the corner of his eye.
Shit.
Aalto notices it too, he flips himself over Jiyan to land on his feet, one hand still on his back for balance, and leans closer to whisper into his ear.
“Do you trust me?”
Jiyan is tempted to say no, but they already know the truth.
“Always.”
And the next thing he knows both of them are diving out of the air and onto the streets, bursts of silver and golden green covering their steps amidst the sound of little kids. They beeline across the village, sprinting through the grass. Jiyan doesn’t know how long they’ve been running, but Aalto is still next to him and he hasn’t stopped, so he doesn’t either.
Finally, finally. They skids to a halt and almost collapse onto each other.
Jiyan leans on his spear to catch a break, he can hear panting next to him. He’s about to ask if the other man is fine, but Aalto beats him to the punch.
“That was fun, right?” He looks up at Jiyan, breathless.
Jiyan just stares back.
Aalto has one of his hands on his knees, the other swiping strands of sweat-soaked hair out of his face. There’s a joyful glint in his amber eyes, and he’s smiling so wide and sweetly he has Jiyan's stomach doing backflips.
Aalto licks his lips. Jiyan’s gaze follows it.
He doesn’t know who moved first, but he can tell you this:
Aalto’s lips are just as soft as it looks, and he tastes like the air after rain, like candies Jiyan has after bitter medicine, like the tea he uses to wake himself up every morning.
They kiss, and a piece slots itself into place in Jiyan’s heart.
At the end, both of them are resting their foreheads together, simply smiling at the other. Aalto has his thumb tracing Jiyan’s mouth.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since forever.”
Jiyan kisses the finger.
“You have me for forever.”