#threads of starlight

She scoffed but turned back to look at the stuffed animals—a light-blue rabbit, a white lion, and a pastel-pink tuskpir. She observed them with such seriousness that the General couldn’t help but approach them as well, curious as to why his wife seemed so interested in them. Natsu barely looked up at him as he approached, not even reacting as he wrapped his arms around her waist to press her into his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder. 

“Are those Yanqing’s?” He finally asked.

Natsu hesitated. “Not yet.”

He frowned. “Not yet?”

Natsu shook her head softly, one of her hands idly reaching to graze the rabbit’s ears. “Yanqing’s been having nightmares for a while now, we both know that. He wakes up in the middle of the night crying, and he calls for me in that terrified voice of his. If the nightmare is particularly scary, then he comes into our room and asks to stay with us. I was thinking that, maybe, if he had a companion…”

Jing Yuan smiled. “He wouldn’t be so scared?”

Natsu shrugged. “Maybe he’d feel a little braver. We don’t know what happened to him before you found him, and we also don’t know what he’s seeing in these nightmares…”

The General observed her for a few more moments in silence, noting the way her gaze softened as she looked at the stuffed animals she had chosen. They were proof of her unwavering love for their son—her desperate need to make him feel safer where her love couldn’t reach him, where her love couldn’t protect him. With a sigh, he pressed a kiss to her temple, both to comfort her and to dote on her. He then unwrapped himself from her to step closer to the bed, to the plushies.

“I am surprised that you did not choose the tuskpir right away,” He hummed, no teasing in his voice this time. “Don’t they help with anxiety?”

Natsu nodded. “Yes, a real one would. I doubt a toy would be so effective, and though I could have asked in the Alchemy Commission, I don’t want to give anyone the means to harm Yanqing. He’s still a baby.”

“He’s four.” Jing Yuan added, amused.

His wife elbowed him, scoffing. “He’s still a baby. Even if he carries around that sword and if he follows you into the Seat of Divine Foresight every day, he’s my baby.”

This time, the General erupted in good-humored chuckles, wrapping his arms around her again and cradling her against his chest. This was less for him and more for her—Natsu’s distress was evident the more she spoke. His big hand rubbed soothing circles on her back, while he pressed a kiss to her hair.

“You’re a good mom,” He uttered, once he felt that she had relaxed slightly in his arms.

“My child is having nightmares,” She shook her head. Ah, there it was—she blamed herself for this. “And all I can do is watch him cry every night.”

“And what does he do when he has a nightmare, hm?” He asked, voice soothing, hands rubbing her sides this time.

His wife hummed something unintelligible as she pressed her head against his chest. 

“Natsu,” He called.

She looked up, vulnerability and guilt etched into every feature of her face. He barely ever called her name—he was more given to pet names, even when they were still young and had yet to endure the tragedies this life had thrown at them. He only ever used it in very specific situations, serious situations… like this one.

“He calls for his mom,” Jing Yuan continued, pressing a kiss to her forehead this time. “He calls for you. You are his safe haven, my love. Indeed, we do not know what his situation was before I brought him to you, and we may not know what his nightmares are… But despite all of that, he calls for his mom whenever he’s scared. You’re a good mom.”

She looked at him for a few seconds, allowing herself to fall to his pull—to focus on his sun-like eyes and forget a little of the worry that she carried. She hated this as much as she loved it; how easy he could pull her back together even when she felt herself ripping at the seams. His sweet smile slowly turned into a teasing grin under her gaze; she felt him nuzzle at her temple, as if to hide his expression, but they had been together for too many centuries for her not to notice her husband’s subtle changes.

Natsu sniffled, flush spreading through her cheeks as she looked away from his golden gaze. “Just pick one.”

Jing Yuan observed the toys again. “Do we have to?”

The reaction was immediate. His wife pulled away, a gasp on her lips, and words ready to fight. He took hold of her wrists, amusement etched into his smile, as he pulled her closer once more. 

“You really can’t even choose a toy for your son?” She huffed, evidently offended.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” He chuckled. Natsu always thought of herself in lesser ways than anyone else, and right now, he wondered if she realized she was acting like a lioness protecting her cub—even from her own husband. “I am saying that we can ask him to choose, or we could give him all three.”

Natsu’s eyes widened. She hadn’t thought about that. She had been so focused on finding a solution…

“Three companions are better than just one,” She uttered, looking back at the toys. “They’ll keep him company.”

He hummed, wrapping his arms around her once again. He loved this—her, and her game of push and pull. The constant chase. Even now, after centuries of sharing their lives, devoting their lives to each other… She was still every piece of the girl he fell in love with when he was just a boy.

“Yeah, I like that,” She hummed back, burying her face into the expanse of his chest—always looking for a hiding place.

They stayed there for a few more seconds, merely enjoying each other’s warmth. Jing Yuan had never voiced it, but he found it almost funny how she fit within his arms—like a puzzle piece, made just for him. He had the strong urge to squeeze her, make her squeak like one of those noisy toys Yanqing kept, but he refrained. His love may be overwhelming most of the time, but right now she needed his comfort, not his teasing.

The soft sound of footsteps brought them back. Natsu pulled away slightly when she heard him, as if needing to double-check that it was her son—as if she didn’t already know. 

“Mommy?” They heard.

“Welcome home, baby,” Natsu pulled away to receive him.

Jing Yuan watched her walk to the door of their room; he heard Yanqing’s excited laughter as Natsu finally held him. Despite his young age, the boy babbled about his day following the Cloud Knights, and the swords he saw, and how he couldn’t wait to start training. There was no trace of last night’s tears as Natsu brought him into the room to see his new friends.

Yes, she was still the same girl he fell in love with a lifetime ago… even if she had become the mother of a toddler that kept them on their toes.

And he would not change a thing.

more about this ship. | more works.