Final Fantasy XII (Vayne/Larsa)
Jul. 1st, 2007 05:58 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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Title: Long Way From Here
Author: Laylah
Rating: PG for subtle badtouch
Word count: 789
Summary: Vayne twitches back the sheets with a flick of his wrist. "I'm honored that you came to me," he says.
Vayne wakes as soon as the door opens. One who did otherwise would be unworthy of House Solidor, and likely would not long be part of it. But tonight the intruder is not a threat.
"Brother?" Larsa says softly.
"Come in," Vayne answers. He sits up, letting the sheets fall back. "Are you well?"
Larsa closes the door carefully, and pads across the room without lighting any of the lamps. Starlight from the windows is just enough for Vayne to make him out, a ghostly little figure in his nightshirt. "I couldn't sleep," he says, stopping at the edge of the bed.
Vayne twitches back the sheets with a flick of his wrist. "I'm honored that you came to me," he says. He slides over to make room, so Larsa can crawl into the warm spot where he's been lying. "What's the matter?" he asks, though he's fairly certain he knows.
"You need me to tell you?" Larsa asks reproachfully. His hand finds Vayne's, under the blankets. "It's a long way to Rabanastre from here."
"Only a few hours, in a good airship," Vayne points out. He eases himself back down, pulling up the blankets, and slides an arm around Larsa's narrow shoulders.
"That's still much further than the other end of the hall," Larsa counters. He sighs. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound petulant."
"You don't need to apologize," Vayne says. He buries his face in Larsa's hair, breathes in the sweet, clean scent of it. "You never need to apologize to me."
Larsa hugs him. "You're so kind to me, brother." His hand curls tight in the linen of Vayne's nightshirt, and holds on. "And that makes it worse. Ever since Mother -- I'll miss you."
By the time their mother died, three years ago, she and Vayne were thoroughly estranged; indeed, he sees it as a blessing more than anything, for it was in the wake of her death that he really grew to know Larsa well. "I'll miss you, too," he says. He's been trying not to dwell on that aspect of his new post, for fear that his resolve might waver. He strokes Larsa's shoulder, fingertips circling the blunt knob of bone. "Try to be brave. I work to secure the future of the empire, so it will be worthy of you by the time you inherit."
"It is you who will be the next emperor, brother, not I," Larsa says sternly. Vayne smiles in the dark, and kisses his temple.
"And should I die without issue, you succeed me," Vayne says. It is what he intends; he has chosen his heir already, not some hypothetical son but his beloved brother.
"But forgive me," he says. "You come to me for comfort and here we are talking of death. I apologize." He draws Larsa -- slender and bird-boned and warm -- into his embrace, allowing himself to treasure this moment, at least; it will likely be the last of its kind for some time.
Larsa presses a soft kiss against his throat, and if it makes his heart beat faster, Vayne is careful not to show it. "Will you come home for holidays?"
"I will come home whenever my duties allow," he promises. It will serve him in good stead, not only for the chance to see Larsa, but in order to keep abreast of the maneuvers in the Senate as it seeks to weaken the standing of House Solidor in Gramis's decline. "And you -- so long as you are properly accompanied by a Magister, I see no reason why you should not come to visit Rabanastre as well."
"I shall, then," Larsa declares. "As often as my studies allow." He shifts, pressing closer as he stretches up to brush a kiss against Vayne's cheek.
Vayne nods. "We have a bargain," he says. He returns the kiss, and for a moment as he draws back their lips meet -- and he hears Larsa's breath catch, feels Larsa's hands clench tight: he could press further, should he choose to. Larsa would not refuse his hands, his mouth.
But Larsa is unsullied, still perfect, untouched by the depravity or the schemes of Archades. Vayne would not see that change, would kill to keep him so.
"Good night, my brother," he says, and feels Larsa relax against him. "Sleep well."
"And you, as well," Larsa murmurs, the last tension draining from him as he accepts his place: safe in his brother's arms.
Vayne will not sleep well, not when he must watch over his brother, but no matter. He can doze tomorrow on the transport ship; he knows his speech well enough not to need further rehearsing. This treasure is more than worth the trouble.
Author: Laylah
Rating: PG for subtle badtouch
Word count: 789
Summary: Vayne twitches back the sheets with a flick of his wrist. "I'm honored that you came to me," he says.
Vayne wakes as soon as the door opens. One who did otherwise would be unworthy of House Solidor, and likely would not long be part of it. But tonight the intruder is not a threat.
"Brother?" Larsa says softly.
"Come in," Vayne answers. He sits up, letting the sheets fall back. "Are you well?"
Larsa closes the door carefully, and pads across the room without lighting any of the lamps. Starlight from the windows is just enough for Vayne to make him out, a ghostly little figure in his nightshirt. "I couldn't sleep," he says, stopping at the edge of the bed.
Vayne twitches back the sheets with a flick of his wrist. "I'm honored that you came to me," he says. He slides over to make room, so Larsa can crawl into the warm spot where he's been lying. "What's the matter?" he asks, though he's fairly certain he knows.
"You need me to tell you?" Larsa asks reproachfully. His hand finds Vayne's, under the blankets. "It's a long way to Rabanastre from here."
"Only a few hours, in a good airship," Vayne points out. He eases himself back down, pulling up the blankets, and slides an arm around Larsa's narrow shoulders.
"That's still much further than the other end of the hall," Larsa counters. He sighs. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound petulant."
"You don't need to apologize," Vayne says. He buries his face in Larsa's hair, breathes in the sweet, clean scent of it. "You never need to apologize to me."
Larsa hugs him. "You're so kind to me, brother." His hand curls tight in the linen of Vayne's nightshirt, and holds on. "And that makes it worse. Ever since Mother -- I'll miss you."
By the time their mother died, three years ago, she and Vayne were thoroughly estranged; indeed, he sees it as a blessing more than anything, for it was in the wake of her death that he really grew to know Larsa well. "I'll miss you, too," he says. He's been trying not to dwell on that aspect of his new post, for fear that his resolve might waver. He strokes Larsa's shoulder, fingertips circling the blunt knob of bone. "Try to be brave. I work to secure the future of the empire, so it will be worthy of you by the time you inherit."
"It is you who will be the next emperor, brother, not I," Larsa says sternly. Vayne smiles in the dark, and kisses his temple.
"And should I die without issue, you succeed me," Vayne says. It is what he intends; he has chosen his heir already, not some hypothetical son but his beloved brother.
"But forgive me," he says. "You come to me for comfort and here we are talking of death. I apologize." He draws Larsa -- slender and bird-boned and warm -- into his embrace, allowing himself to treasure this moment, at least; it will likely be the last of its kind for some time.
Larsa presses a soft kiss against his throat, and if it makes his heart beat faster, Vayne is careful not to show it. "Will you come home for holidays?"
"I will come home whenever my duties allow," he promises. It will serve him in good stead, not only for the chance to see Larsa, but in order to keep abreast of the maneuvers in the Senate as it seeks to weaken the standing of House Solidor in Gramis's decline. "And you -- so long as you are properly accompanied by a Magister, I see no reason why you should not come to visit Rabanastre as well."
"I shall, then," Larsa declares. "As often as my studies allow." He shifts, pressing closer as he stretches up to brush a kiss against Vayne's cheek.
Vayne nods. "We have a bargain," he says. He returns the kiss, and for a moment as he draws back their lips meet -- and he hears Larsa's breath catch, feels Larsa's hands clench tight: he could press further, should he choose to. Larsa would not refuse his hands, his mouth.
But Larsa is unsullied, still perfect, untouched by the depravity or the schemes of Archades. Vayne would not see that change, would kill to keep him so.
"Good night, my brother," he says, and feels Larsa relax against him. "Sleep well."
"And you, as well," Larsa murmurs, the last tension draining from him as he accepts his place: safe in his brother's arms.
Vayne will not sleep well, not when he must watch over his brother, but no matter. He can doze tomorrow on the transport ship; he knows his speech well enough not to need further rehearsing. This treasure is more than worth the trouble.
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Date: 2007-07-01 01:18 pm (UTC)Ooh, well played. I would love to get into Larsa's head during this, oh yes. And the nod about Vayne not wanting any heir but his brother--so very Vayne.
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Date: 2007-07-01 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 02:31 pm (UTC)it'd be super cute, except for the badtouch ;)
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Date: 2007-07-01 02:35 pm (UTC)...I need a new icon for the "brothers" keyword!
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Date: 2007-07-01 03:10 pm (UTC)I also adore the detail of Vayne's planning not to have heirs--it's utterly spot-on.
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Date: 2007-07-01 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 04:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 04:31 pm (UTC)...your Vayne is many different kinds of fabulous, really. :D Great job!
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Date: 2007-07-01 04:41 pm (UTC)I need more excuses to write Vayne, I think, because he's really just -- the more time I spend with him, the more I realize he's totally my type, despite the bad hair; charming and also horrible, willing to do horrible things for reasons that he's sure are worthwhile. mmmm. ♥
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Date: 2007-07-01 04:50 pm (UTC)*nod* That's pretty much what I love about Vayne -- the overwhelming charisma and the (misguided) convictions beneath it. Mmm indeed.
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Date: 2007-07-01 05:05 pm (UTC)...I sort of like that, actually; the fact that they don't all look like they were dressed to the fashion standards of our culture.
And omg, so much yes. Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons is one of my biggest, most screaming red-hot buttons. mmmmm~
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Date: 2007-07-01 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 04:45 pm (UTC)As for porn... well I'll go as far as kissing and cuddling between them (I have read it), but any further... well Larsa is too young for "any further". The only other recourse is maybe AU.
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Date: 2007-07-01 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 05:10 pm (UTC)This is so awesome with Vayne's protectiveness and the way he'd kill to keep Larsa pure, and wanting no heir but Larsa. Squee.
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Date: 2007-07-01 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 06:45 pm (UTC)This story was fantabulous and yess, my two cents &hearts for Vayne's conviction/obsession and only Larsa as his heir. I just wish he'd take Larsa out of his gilded box and play with him for a bit. ;x Growing boys need their exercise too, haha. *smacked* ♥
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Date: 2007-07-01 07:07 pm (UTC)Thank you!
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Date: 2007-07-01 10:54 pm (UTC)Beautifully written.
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Date: 2007-07-01 11:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 11:46 pm (UTC)*offers frog plush and worships*
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Date: 2007-07-02 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 12:50 am (UTC)I think I have most of your FFXII stories saved somewhere on my hard drive.
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Date: 2007-07-01 11:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 11:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-01 11:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 12:31 am (UTC)I've tried before to write the pairing, and it always seems to come out less porny and more subtexty than I mean it to -- but my other attempt is here (http://laylah.livejournal.com/297833.html) (spoilers through the end of the game, Larsa-centric with some hints at his crush on Vayne).
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Date: 2007-07-02 03:16 am (UTC)I. Coherency, not so much. But total adoration.
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Date: 2007-07-02 03:25 am (UTC)Thank you!
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Date: 2007-07-02 05:16 am (UTC)AND. Now about the story, oh, oh. I love Larsa's crush and Vayne not wanting to sully his brother. Oh, yes indeed. I love how this one is esentially very very sweet and yet there's this whole layer of wrong underneath that just... *shivers*
Amazing job!
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Date: 2007-07-02 05:21 am (UTC)I adored this facet of Vayne's character so, so much. And I'm really glad the wrong is still visible underneath -- it feels very appropriate to Vayne, for me, the way that he's almost doing something really wonderful, except...no, actually, it's broken.
mmmm. Thank you! ^_^
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Date: 2007-07-02 06:56 pm (UTC)It's about time summerkink got here, I've been waiting for some of these from you to read! <3
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Date: 2007-07-03 12:35 am (UTC)...The language of XII, though, omg. My first big crush in the fandom was on the bestiary. I'm sure I've mentioned. *rolls around happily*
I wish I were done with more of my pieces for it! But I've at least started more than half of them now....
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Date: 2007-07-03 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-03 08:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-06 03:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-06 03:53 pm (UTC)Yes. It was all about the subtlety here, for Vayne -- delicate, sweet badtouch.
mmmm.
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Date: 2007-07-23 02:50 am (UTC)The whole thing is very Vayne, seductive logic, with subtle lines in the sand about Larsa that he will not cross, though he knows that he can. Of course he doesn't want issue, when he has Larsa. I've never seen anything suggesting that they shared a mother, which is interesting here and binds them even tighter.
However, I can't help wondering if Vayne draws his lines too close to the temptation, if Larsa didn't recognise something in what they do. It's also very like Vayne to think he controls the situation perfectly, but finding out later that he did not.