[Stephen doesn't get a reply on the earpiece. Instead, Yujin simply retraces his steps back to where they'd been before, without very much delay at all. He appears quietly beside the other man, the sound of his approach dulled by the sounds of the crew's preparations.]
A favor for a favor. [says Yujin as he rests a hand on the railing.] It's only fair.
[And it is, of course, only fair to give Stephen the chance to make his next move too.]
[he turns to him, expression open:] What can I help you with, Stephen?
[ And there he is, appearing as if by his own quiet kind of magic, a hand on the rail heralding the rest of him. Stephen tilts his head to look at him sidelong, crooked smile already in place. Slight enough that he could deny it if he had to.
But one thing at a time. Favor for a favor.
He shifts slightly to slip his hand into the pocket of his breeches and pull out an envelope which goes held out for Yujin, brandished low in the space between them, shielded from the rest of the ship by their bodies. It's addressed to the captains. ]
Leave this somewhere for me? My hammock'll do. Or hand it to the first mate, say you found it.
[ The hammock and the first mate he himself has free and easy access to? That hammock. That first mate. ]
[He takes the letter without hesitation, glancing down at the envelope in his hand with only his eyes before he looks back up to Stephen once more.]
You're leaving now?
[Not that he would stop him: it's their mission, after all. The slight smile on his face falters and gives way to a a look of concern as Yujin tucks Stephen's note away, the envelope safe in an inside pocket of his coat.]
It was probably easier for you to carry Ciri than it will be for me to carry you, but we can give it a try...
[ His personal mode of transportation isn't ordinarily fit for two, but Yujin knows better than most what it's capable of in a pinch.
Not that it's a serious suggestion. A little dose of humour to soothe some of the sudden edge of Yujin's concern, ease them back into steadier waters. Worrying him isn't what he came here to do.
Stephen eases back down against the railing. A casual lean to anyone catching a glance from a distance is in truth an easy way to talk low and quiet to the man at his side. ]
I promised the twins I wouldn't use magic while a member of the crew. You've just pocketed my resignation letter.
[It works. He chuckles lightly, shaking his head, as he relaxes again:]
On second thought, I'll come find you after we land. Just take care of yourself.
[With Jake gone-- a keener absence than Yujin thought he'd feel, and he even expected it-- Stephen is the closest confidant that he has left. (Outside of his boys, that is, and they're supposed to lean on Yujin: not the other way around.)
He angles himself in closer as he hears Stephen lowering his voice. Resting his other hand on the railing, Yujin breathes in, savoring the crisp, chill air from so far above land; to any onlookers, they're just two men taking in the view.]
[ The chuckle clears the air, and with it Stephen settles. Turns his attention back out to the horizon, to the red that calls them on toward the orb. ]
I plan to be difficult.
[ An ironically easy feat for one Dr. Stephen Strange. ]
If the island's not enough of a maze by itself, I'll help it along. [ And actually, speaking of coming to find him... ] If you call me when you land, we could collaborate.
[ "Collaborate". What he means is conspire. Or perhaps aid and abet. ]
Consider it done. So long as you don't drop me in the ocean. [He raises a brow, smile wry. Maybe that mess was fun, in the end, but he's not repeating the Sunlight Room encounter.]
I can be plenty difficult myself, too-- should the situation call for it.
[ Grin jagged with conspiracy, he glances Yujin's way - and just like that he's almost caught up. Shared mischief and a budding shared history, the way the light lands on Yujin's face, how close they are, how easy it would be to just—
Almost, but not quite. He's leaving. And he won't be the only one to have done that lately, though Stephen's not going even half as far as most.
He tamps down the eager fizz of something new. It can wait. ]
You'll be alright here, in the meantime?
[ The tone doesn't change, there's only so much quieter he can get, but his demeanour does. Expression sinking into sincerity, Stephen fixes Yujin with his full attention.
Jake sits in the spaces between the words he actually says. There'll be time to sit and talk about him when they're back on the station - for now he just wants to know what his absence is doing to the friend left behind. ]
[As Stephen's expression shifts back into sobriety, so does Yujin's. It's funny. So much of their friendship seems to operate on silent or half-spoken understandings-- small gestures and favors, places of rest, the right amount of sugar in his coffee in the morning-- that being asked the question directly takes him aback a little. It's obvious that this isn't only about leaving him to wait on the ship at all.
He picks back up quickly, though: Stephen, who has offered him an honest question, deserves an honest answer. Yujin blinks back the moment of his surprise, and in the faint worry-worn lines on his face, there is a rare vulnerability.
(And yet, Stephen's already seen this in him, and Yujin knows it. They were alright then. God willing, maybe he'll be alright again now.)]
My time here has never been easy. [he answers, glancing back out at the horizon, as if his many months on the Ximilia have been spread out across that broad vista. Worlds and people have come and gone, drifting past him as quickly as the view below.] I can't help but to doubt myself, every once in a while.
[Finally, he meets Stephen's eyes.]
But I'll manage. [He always does. His expression softens:] If I can't, you'll be the first to know.
[ It's not an easy answer. Then again, it was never going to be. Accustomed or not to the changing tides of time and place, you're never prepared for loss. You can't remove something you've grown around without tearing down a few supporting structures, adding caverns to the warrens that make up the man.
It can be dangerous to be so full of hollows: when they're fresh and still unstable, when you don't know how to tend them, when you playact at being hale and whole. But Yujin isn't feigning invulnerability. Asked plainly, he answers in kind.
Meeting his gaze, Stephen trusts him when he says he'll call out if there's risk of a cave in.
A nod, slight, staccato - acknowledgement. ]
Good. I'll hold you to it.
[ Before he can get in his own way, his hand slides the short distance along the railing to nudge against Yujin's: heel to heel, pinky to pinky. Brave enough for that much, he hooks Yujin's pinky with his own as he lets his focus drop briefly back into their ocean of sky. ]
I should leave soon. [ Deep breath. Here we go. ] But there was something I wanted to say first.
Stephen's hand bumps up against his own, their fingers interlocking together as if they're about to make a promise, or keep a secret. It even feels a little like that, with Stephen's note in his pocket and their backs to the rest the Hawking. Near to each other as they are, most of the Hawking probably can't even see their linked hands at all.
Yujin doesn't move, not to resist, nor to push Stephen any further than where he is right now. He's recognized this for what it is, after all: another cautious testing of the waters, in reply to his own. For as long as he's dwelt upon how fleeting time is here... now's no time to rush. He's got plenty for whatever Stephen has to say.]
He knows what he wants to do. He's had plenty of time and cause to think about it over these last weeks, thanks so much. It wouldn't be unwelcome either, that much has been made perfectly clear, but he hits the same snag every time. What about the cost? I'll manage, Yujin had answered, just moments earlier. Goodbyes are never easy. Is it fair to make this one harder? Do either of them really need that?
(Is it fair to make this about Yujin, when he's really just scared for himself?)
He glances over - and gets caught up again by the look on his face, by his patience, by the well of easy fondness fostered over months instead of years. A smile tucks itself into the corner of Stephen's mouth.
Abandoning linked hands only lasts for a second before he's curling his fingers through the gaps between Yujin's, using that hold to lift it away from the railing and guide them around to face each other. It isn't much from there to draw close, cradle Yujin's jaw in his hand. He lingers there for a moment: strokes a thumb over Yujin's cheek, steadies the frantic racing in his own chest.
Then he leans in. Faces close, close enough to brush noses, to share breath, lips warm and near and so very almost —
— moving away? Up along the rise of a cheek, tilting his head until his mouth's close enough to Yujin's ear that all he has to do is murmur, low and rich with challenge and promise: ]
I'll see you on the island.
[ And just like that, he's gone. No drawing back, no pulling away. There one second, nowhere the next, a burst bubble on a breeze.
You may have the moves, Mikotoba. He's still got the magic. ]
[The cost, as it were, isn't on Yujin's mind at all. Isn't it worth the cost, anyway, to play these odds together-- to seize whatever impossible, out-of-time thing they could have, before their chance has long gone? Yujin has let enough years, and enough potential, pass him by; Stephen won't be another if he can help it.
So when Yujin anticipates Stephen closing the gap between them, he moves with him readily. The man's fingers finally interlace with his own; Stephen's hand, capable of spellwork Yujin knows he can scarcely conceive of, rests warm against his cheek.
But just when he parts his lips, Stephen's moved away to whisper in his ear instead.]
W-wait-- [he stammers, blinking back his surprise, but it's too late. In an instant, where Stephen was standing is now only open, empty air.
Damn sorcerors. But turnabout, he supposes, is fair play. Yujin stares, bewildered, at the space once occupied by Stephen Strange and brings his hand to his lower lip-- thinking hard, willing the tempo of his heartbeat slower. Then he presses his lips together, shakes his head, and turns on his heel. He'll really have to get to that island now, if only to finish what they've started here.
For now, however, he has a first mate to find, and a letter to pass along.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action;
A favor for a favor. [says Yujin as he rests a hand on the railing.] It's only fair.
[And it is, of course, only fair to give Stephen the chance to make his next move too.]
[he turns to him, expression open:] What can I help you with, Stephen?
action;
But one thing at a time. Favor for a favor.
He shifts slightly to slip his hand into the pocket of his breeches and pull out an envelope which goes held out for Yujin, brandished low in the space between them, shielded from the rest of the ship by their bodies. It's addressed to the captains. ]
Leave this somewhere for me? My hammock'll do. Or hand it to the first mate, say you found it.
[ The hammock and the first mate he himself has free and easy access to? That hammock. That first mate. ]
I'm leaving for the island.
no subject
You're leaving now?
[Not that he would stop him: it's their mission, after all. The slight smile on his face falters and gives way to a a look of concern as Yujin tucks Stephen's note away, the envelope safe in an inside pocket of his coat.]
When I've handed this off, I can come with you.
no subject
[ His personal mode of transportation isn't ordinarily fit for two, but Yujin knows better than most what it's capable of in a pinch.
Not that it's a serious suggestion. A little dose of humour to soothe some of the sudden edge of Yujin's concern, ease them back into steadier waters. Worrying him isn't what he came here to do.
Stephen eases back down against the railing. A casual lean to anyone catching a glance from a distance is in truth an easy way to talk low and quiet to the man at his side. ]
I promised the twins I wouldn't use magic while a member of the crew. You've just pocketed my resignation letter.
[ For the twins' sake, a paper trail. ]
no subject
On second thought, I'll come find you after we land. Just take care of yourself.
[With Jake gone-- a keener absence than Yujin thought he'd feel, and he even expected it-- Stephen is the closest confidant that he has left. (Outside of his boys, that is, and they're supposed to lean on Yujin: not the other way around.)
He angles himself in closer as he hears Stephen lowering his voice. Resting his other hand on the railing, Yujin breathes in, savoring the crisp, chill air from so far above land; to any onlookers, they're just two men taking in the view.]
What's your plan?
no subject
I plan to be difficult.
[ An ironically easy feat for one Dr. Stephen Strange. ]
If the island's not enough of a maze by itself, I'll help it along. [ And actually, speaking of coming to find him... ] If you call me when you land, we could collaborate.
[ "Collaborate". What he means is conspire. Or perhaps aid and abet. ]
no subject
Consider it done. So long as you don't drop me in the ocean. [He raises a brow, smile wry. Maybe that mess was fun, in the end, but he's not repeating the Sunlight Room encounter.]
I can be plenty difficult myself, too-- should the situation call for it.
no subject
[ Grin jagged with conspiracy, he glances Yujin's way - and just like that he's almost caught up. Shared mischief and a budding shared history, the way the light lands on Yujin's face, how close they are, how easy it would be to just—
Almost, but not quite. He's leaving. And he won't be the only one to have done that lately, though Stephen's not going even half as far as most.
He tamps down the eager fizz of something new. It can wait. ]
You'll be alright here, in the meantime?
[ The tone doesn't change, there's only so much quieter he can get, but his demeanour does. Expression sinking into sincerity, Stephen fixes Yujin with his full attention.
Jake sits in the spaces between the words he actually says. There'll be time to sit and talk about him when they're back on the station - for now he just wants to know what his absence is doing to the friend left behind. ]
no subject
He picks back up quickly, though: Stephen, who has offered him an honest question, deserves an honest answer. Yujin blinks back the moment of his surprise, and in the faint worry-worn lines on his face, there is a rare vulnerability.
(And yet, Stephen's already seen this in him, and Yujin knows it. They were alright then. God willing, maybe he'll be alright again now.)]
My time here has never been easy. [he answers, glancing back out at the horizon, as if his many months on the Ximilia have been spread out across that broad vista. Worlds and people have come and gone, drifting past him as quickly as the view below.] I can't help but to doubt myself, every once in a while.
[Finally, he meets Stephen's eyes.]
But I'll manage. [He always does. His expression softens:] If I can't, you'll be the first to know.
no subject
It can be dangerous to be so full of hollows: when they're fresh and still unstable, when you don't know how to tend them, when you playact at being hale and whole. But Yujin isn't feigning invulnerability. Asked plainly, he answers in kind.
Meeting his gaze, Stephen trusts him when he says he'll call out if there's risk of a cave in.
A nod, slight, staccato - acknowledgement. ]
Good. I'll hold you to it.
[ Before he can get in his own way, his hand slides the short distance along the railing to nudge against Yujin's: heel to heel, pinky to pinky. Brave enough for that much, he hooks Yujin's pinky with his own as he lets his focus drop briefly back into their ocean of sky. ]
I should leave soon. [ Deep breath. Here we go. ] But there was something I wanted to say first.
no subject
Stephen's hand bumps up against his own, their fingers interlocking together as if they're about to make a promise, or keep a secret. It even feels a little like that, with Stephen's note in his pocket and their backs to the rest the Hawking. Near to each other as they are, most of the Hawking probably can't even see their linked hands at all.
Yujin doesn't move, not to resist, nor to push Stephen any further than where he is right now. He's recognized this for what it is, after all: another cautious testing of the waters, in reply to his own. For as long as he's dwelt upon how fleeting time is here... now's no time to rush. He's got plenty for whatever Stephen has to say.]
What is it, Stephen?
no subject
He knows what he wants to do. He's had plenty of time and cause to think about it over these last weeks, thanks so much. It wouldn't be unwelcome either, that much has been made perfectly clear, but he hits the same snag every time. What about the cost? I'll manage, Yujin had answered, just moments earlier. Goodbyes are never easy. Is it fair to make this one harder? Do either of them really need that?
(Is it fair to make this about Yujin, when he's really just scared for himself?)
He glances over - and gets caught up again by the look on his face, by his patience, by the well of easy fondness fostered over months instead of years. A smile tucks itself into the corner of Stephen's mouth.
Abandoning linked hands only lasts for a second before he's curling his fingers through the gaps between Yujin's, using that hold to lift it away from the railing and guide them around to face each other. It isn't much from there to draw close, cradle Yujin's jaw in his hand. He lingers there for a moment: strokes a thumb over Yujin's cheek, steadies the frantic racing in his own chest.
Then he leans in. Faces close, close enough to brush noses, to share breath, lips warm and near and so very almost —
— moving away? Up along the rise of a cheek, tilting his head until his mouth's close enough to Yujin's ear that all he has to do is murmur, low and rich with challenge and promise: ]
I'll see you on the island.
[ And just like that, he's gone. No drawing back, no pulling away. There one second, nowhere the next, a burst bubble on a breeze.
You may have the moves, Mikotoba. He's still got the magic. ]
no subject
So when Yujin anticipates Stephen closing the gap between them, he moves with him readily. The man's fingers finally interlace with his own; Stephen's hand, capable of spellwork Yujin knows he can scarcely conceive of, rests warm against his cheek.
But just when he parts his lips, Stephen's moved away to whisper in his ear instead.]
W-wait-- [he stammers, blinking back his surprise, but it's too late. In an instant, where Stephen was standing is now only open, empty air.
Damn sorcerors. But turnabout, he supposes, is fair play. Yujin stares, bewildered, at the space once occupied by Stephen Strange and brings his hand to his lower lip-- thinking hard, willing the tempo of his heartbeat slower. Then he presses his lips together, shakes his head, and turns on his heel. He'll really have to get to that island now, if only to finish what they've started here.
For now, however, he has a first mate to find, and a letter to pass along.]