#thermal equilibrium

What happens when you put an uptight and stubborn diarist with a spacey and morbidly optimistic valedictorian? Friendship, of course, one that is quickly and violently interrupted by the machinations of gods! When Q and Z meet in their sophomore year of highschool, Q insists that their studying agreement will be nothing more than that- a studying agreement. However, everything changes when the gods of their world communicate with them and interfere with their lives, giving Q reality-shifting powers and causing Z to question their sense of self. Among all the chaos and life threatening events, all they have is eachother- causing them to grow closer than ever before. Eventually, the depth of their relationship threatens to affect the state of the universe itself- and ruin their friendship in its entirety. After all, the term soulmate is not merely a descriptor of a relationship- it is a warning label. ——

Thermal Equilibrium is a book about what it means to be a god. What place humans have in the world. Alternative love languages. Unconventional friendships. All the ways self hate can get mixed up with love, and all the ways love get mixed up with hate. Learning to adapt to what seems unnatural, and realizing that not every stereotype about what you should do with your life has to be followed. And, of course, the absolute agony of having a best friend.

For Ruthari Week 2020

AU: Canon/headcanon

Pairings: Runaan x Ethari

Rating: Gen

Archive warnings: None

Prompt #4: Separation/Reunion

The forest was cold. Though summer held sway and the moonflies danced merrily beneath the tangled oaks, the forest felt cold to Runaan. With every step he took away from the Silvergrove, it grew colder. The tips of his toes tingled and ached with cold. His fingers had gone stiff half an hour ago. His arms rippled with sheets of goosebumps, prickling beneath the rankmarks Ethari had painted fresh for him the night before.

It’s cold without you. I’m cold without you.

But his longing remained tucked safely in his heart, and his face showed only what he needed for his mission: focus, intent, objectivity. That killer instinct which made him so devastatingly good at his job.

I can handle the cold. That’s why I’m the one who leaves. I can handle the cold because I am cold.

Runaan led his team silently through the night, into the chill darkness of the mission, and let it have its way with his heart.

 Ethari was so warm. Even in the deep of winter, he radiated heat like no elf Runaan had ever met. To be held in his embrace was to be warmed, whether Runaan was cold or not. But this night, he was cold. His mission was complete, and so was his reintegration ritual. With hair still damp from the bath, Runaan curled up on Ethari’s lap and relaxed into his husband’s arms.

Safe. Warm. Loved.

Runaan hadn’t said a single word since he’d come in from the cold. But he didn’t need to. Ethari knew his thoughts, his needs. And he lovingly provided Runaan with everything he needed to feel like he was welcome in the land of the living again.

Runaan nestled against Ethari’s shoulder as his husband’s powerful arms held him close. He murmured, “You warm me so well when even my heart is cold, Ethari. What do I ever do for you that could match this?”