Tender, this Love

ch. I

"Put that down? Please?" Ying Yue looked at him, still throwing the dao into the air, "I know you won't hurt yourself but that doesn't mean I can't worry about my floors." Sighing the girl threw the dao into the air one more time and swiped her empty hand across where the dao's hilt was mid-fall, the saber disappearing. "Thank you." Celai's smile was grateful as he returned to cutting the ingredients for their much-needed meal.

"Y'know I wouldn't have dropped it, right?" She leaned over her chair, "and that I wouldn't have ruined your floors, right?" Celai nodded, a slight hum tumbling from his throat, "then why did you make me put it away?"

Celai sighed, "because it's a big saber and my house is small." He stopped cutting his carrots to look at his best friend. "Are you going to stay over," she nodded, "does your mom know?" another nod.

"Can I ask the questions now?" Celai had gone back to cutting vegetables, Ying Yue didn't wait for an answer. "What do you think about Sirius Antonius?" The girl laughed when she saw her friend sputter, almost cutting himself, "his name gives me a headache, honestly."

"You but not me." The man mumbled, eyes sharpening as he focused on his task, hoping that it would make his friend lose interest. "You... but never me..."

"Yes, yes, he's the god of your dreams! Forever the immortal that will have your heart! Oh, how wonderfully enchanting your love for him is!" Ying Yue stood up, throwing her arms out, looking up at the ceiling and spinning in the kitchen, doing a very good impression of a love-struck fool professing their love to the stars. It was sweet, actually, but Celai felt a little offended.

Growling softly he turned and pointed his knife at her, "I would never do something like that!" Whipping back around to the work at hand he muttered, "in a letter..."

"A letter!?" Ying Yue screamed, throwing herself against the counter Celai was working on. Her face split into an unbelieving but way too amused grin. "Oh, sure! Professing your undying love in person is too much but a letter isn't?!"

Bearing his teeth, trying his hardest to look the most furious he could despite the high blush on his tan face, "oh, shut up!" He hissed at his friend who was being very annoying.

"But Celai! You've liked him for so long," taking the lid off the pan on the stove and grabbing the spoon from where it had been set aside Ying Yue stirred the simmering food a little, keeping it up even when Celai began pouring in the other vegetables he had cut. "And I know you know about the way he looks at you—ah!" Interrupting the other god before he even got the chance to speak the goddess fixed him with a quick sharp glare, "you can only blame your literal natural charm on it for so long and in case you haven't noticed, it's been so long!"

Sighing Celai started cleaning up the kitchen counter, "it's not that easy. And sure, it's partly my fault for not confessing before my feeling for him grew too out of hand but I have to live with them. Until I fall in love with someone else or he does and I have no other choice but to move on."

Turning the tap of the sink on Celai began rinsing the dishes he had yet to wash, careful to not spill any water over the counter. Grabbing the sponge soaked in dish soap he began dutifully scrubbing away. Clicking her tongue gently Ying Yue side-eyed her friend, pouting as she looked down at the pan of food. "I still don't see why you choose to ignore the third option which by all accounts is the easiest to go through with." Reaching over the pan to turn the stove off Ying Yue sighed all the while moving their food over to the side so that it couldn't overcook on the still hot burner. "It should also be the first."

Grabbing the wet dishes from the drying rack Ying Yue swiped a towel from where they hung under the cupboard where Celai kept all his cups and bowls. "You are also ignoring the very real possibility of him turning me down—it's my turn to speak—and I've thought about it a lot, if Sirius did turn me down then I wouldn't be in love with him anymore. But I would be heartbroken and that..." trailing off Celai turned the tap off, watching the droplets fall to the metal grey of his sink where they stayed unmoving.