#anyways runaan loves aaravos' eyes because they're the opposite of the coin

[lesbian-janai]

Gold

written for @ask-aaravos-anything for startouch sunday. the prompt for this week is runaavos. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I've now succumbed fully to this ship. I hope you enjoy!

summary: aaravos wakes runaan up from a nightmare

runaan was trapped in an endless golden abyss. he tried to remain calm at first, but the further he walked the more the panic swelled up within him. he started running, hoping that he would find a way to escape this golden wasteland, but the gold stretched on and on. finally, he collapsed from exhaustion and he gulped down air. he tried to even out his breathing, but every breath he took felt like it wasn't enough. he fell forward, tears steaming down his face as he clawed against the cold ground as if he could dig his way out of the void. "LET ME OUT!" he screamed, his voice raw with panic and desperation. "PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME OUT!" suddenly, the golden prison evaporated into darkness, and runaan felt a warm hand shaking his shoulder.

runaan's eyes snapped open, and he threw his head forward and gasped for air. the hand left his shoulder and moved to rub soothing circles against his back. "breathe with me," a deep voice sounded next to him, "you're safe now, runaan. breathe with me." runaan closed his eyes as he tried to match the voices' exaggerated breaths, in and out, in and out. when he got to the point where he no longer had to focus on breathing, he let out a shaky breath and opened his eyes again. aaravos sat next to him, and he smiled softly as he brought his free hand up to cradle runaan's cheek. "are you alright?" he asked.

runaan didn't answer, still out of breath. instead, he let his eyes wonder across aaravos' face, taking in his soft smile, his sparkling freckles, his beautiful cheek markings, and finally they landed on his eyes. gold, just like the wasteland he just returned from, and they were just as endless and soul-sucking as the prison, but there was something different about those eyes. they were warm, unlike the cold hard ground of the coin, and they were full of emotion, unlike the emptiness that consumed him in his dreams. runaan found himself lost in the deep gold of aaravos' eyes, and unlike the coin, he welcomed it. the gold that haunted his dreams now comforted him.

runaan felt his heart swell at that thought, it was simply poetic, and he let out a single pathetic sob as tears slipped past his eyes and down his cheeks. "it's alright, my little moonshadow," aaravos said as he wiped a tear away with his thumb. he then brought runaan's face forward to plant a soft kiss against his forehead. aaravos' affection only made runaan cry more, and he fell forward into the startouch elf's chest, bringing his arms up to cling to him as more sobs wracked his body.

aaravos ran his fingers through runaan's messy hair as he sobbed against his chest. his heart ached at the state of his beloved assassin and he blinked back tears of his own. he could do nothing but hold the moonshadow elf and make soft cooing noises to comfort him. there was no spell he knew that could end this, the tears would have to run their course. after what seemed like an hour, runaan's sobs subsided into heavy breathing. aaravos tightened his arms around the assassin and then kissed the top of his head.

runaan let out an exasperated sigh and twisted his head to rest his cheek against the startouch elf. "I'm sorry you had to see my like this," runaan said, now embarrassed by losing control of his emotions. "there's no need to apologize, my gentle runes." aaravos' voice was a deep whisper that instantly soothed the assassin, and he closed his eyes as the calming words washed over him. he took a moment to take in his current state: messy hair, sticky cheeks, reddened eyes and a slightly runny nose. he sniffed once and then chuckled at how rediculous he must look. "I'm a mess," he said simply, voice hoarse from his sobbing.

aaravos gently pushed runaan back and lifted his chin to face him. "you're my mess," he said, and he wiped the remaining tears from runaan's cheeks. the moonshadow was once again overcome by emotion, his chest fluttering at aaravos' affection, and he lunged forward to claim aaravos' lips with his own. the archmage returned the kiss, tangling his fingers in runaan's hair and turning his head to deepen the kiss. when runaan couldn't stand the lack of oxygen any longer, he pulled back and rested his forehead against aaravos' while he regained his breath. he stared into the startouch elf's deep golden eyes once again, and after a moment a smile spread across his face.

"has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful eyes?" runaan asked. a deep chuckle was his reply. "yes, I've heard. is that what has you so worked up, runes?" aaravos teased. runaan chuckled again. "actually yes, that is why I'm such a mess." aaravos looked at him, confusion sparking in those golden eyes, and runaan pulled back and plopped down on the bed with a heavy sigh. aaravos lay down next to him, his cheek resting on his fist so he could look down at runaan. after a moment, runaan began to talk, and aaravos listened intently.

"i was in the coin again," the assassin explained, "i was running and running but i couldn't get out. all there was was an empty golden abyss swallowing me whole. I couldn't get out, aaravos," his voice started shaking and aaravos placed his free hand on runaan's chest. "you're out now, runes. you're not trapped in the coin anymore, you're here." runaan stared up at him, adoration clear in his turquoise eyes. he smiled once again at the archmage, and he brought his hand up to cover the star-covered one on his chest.

"you know, your eyes are a lot like the coin," runaan said, and the archmage flashed him a quizzical look before he continued, "your eyes; they're like an endless golden abyss. I find myself lost in them, unable to escape," he took a moment to stare at those beautiful eyes once again, taking in their beauty and depth, "the only difference is that I want to be lost in your eyes. your eyes are nothing like that prison, they're warm and soft and welcoming, they're full of love and wonder, and every time I look at them I feel my heart flutter in my chest." he trailed off and simply smiled at the archmage. he squeezed his hand over his chest and continued, "I love your eyes."

aaravos looked down to hide his blush, a big goofy smile spreading across his face. sure, he gets complimented on his eyes quite often, but nobody has ever spoken about them in such a way. he looked back up at the assassin, locking his eyes with his own and giving him a mischievous smirk. "so what you're saying is you find me compelling," he teased. runaan's head fell against the pillows in a fit of laughter. "I pour my heart out to you and that's your response?" aaravos joined him in his laughing. "no taking that back later, runes," the archmage said, "I just discovered a new weapon to use against you."

once runaan's laughter subsided, he yawned. his panic attack and sobbing left him exhausted and he had to force his eyelids to stay open. "well, no using anything against me right now, I'm still tired and I want to go back to sleep." he turned his body onto his side and tugged on aaravos' hand to force it to wrap around his waist. "do you think you will have another nightmare?" the archmage asked, concern evident in his voice, "I might know a spell that could help." runaan snuggled deeper into aaravos' arms before he hummed a reply. "I think I'm okay," he said, and with that he closed his eyes and let sleep consume him. this time, he didn't dream of that wretched coin, he only dreamed of the endless abyss of aaravos' golden eyes.