#gijaeha

[neixins]

[ID: a panel from chapter 41 of “yona of the dawn” showing gija looking flustered as jaeha leans in to whisper in his ear, smirking. a text post by angelhannah has been edited onto the image; it reads: “Guy who's a shameless flirt and guy who's too autistic for this”. end ID.]

[mimi-tada]

Happy jaeki day🤍💚🐉 this is my first time using water colours so I hope it looks alright!

[neixins]

[ID: tweet by @/mackenzie_kate that reads: “I call my boyfriend bambi. everyone thinks it's because he's 5' with big brown eyes. little do they know it's because I want to shoot his mother with a rifle”. end ID.]

[neixins]

since i'll be posting my massive gijaeha fic, cut to the feeling, later than i'd hoped, i've decided to share the full first scene as a lil sneak peek <3 in case u haven't heard me yap about it already, it's a canon-compliant missing scenes compilation, and the first scene is set after the events of ch 41

(it's also currently in all lowercase bc i subscribe to the shirley jackson school of writing drafts in all lowercase but the final version will be properly capitalized i prommy)

the night is calm, if uncharacteristically cold for the season, and gija is struggling to stay awake.

the fire has burned down to the embers, and the ceaseless trill of nightjars from a nearby thicket, occasionally accentuated by the hoot of an owl, is lulling him to sleep. he slaps himself awake; just because they set up camp in a secluded area far enough from any roads to avoid run-ins with either soldiers or bandits doesn’t mean he can let his guard down. after his disgraceful behavior the previous night, he must prove that he’s still dependable, still worthy of the white dragon’s title and of his place by her highness’ side. even if her highness had been magnanimous enough not to hold it against him, the recollection makes his stomach lurch.

that he hadn’t meant to drink the abominable love potion in the first place, that he’d fought its effects and passed out before anything could happen hardly matters. he could feel his admiration for her highness getting twisted into something gnarled and wrong, a warped reflection of itself, and it frightened him.

what had granny been thinking, concocting and selling something so awful? the elder chief developed that for you, the merchant they’d met had said, all smiles. she’s concerned because you aren’t married yet. it had been intended for him. he’d been meant to drink it. had nobody considered how dangerous the whole scheme could be for her highness? had nobody considered that he didn’t want to marry?

he takes a few breaths to settle down, and focuses on a nightjar resting between the roots of a nearby tree, determined to think about nothing except the intricate pattern of the bird’s feathers, the various shades of gray providing ideal camouflage.

his mind, lightheaded with fatigue, has other ideas, though, and it inevitably wanders to the memory of jaeha’s lips on his neck, his warm breath igniting something within gija that he’s never felt before, his confident hands pinning him beneath his weight, his voice low and sultry; your existence is stirring up my heart.

he rests a hand on the side of his neck, hoping to keep the memory there, safe from the cold breeze.

he doesn’t realize he’s drifting off again until jaeha places a hand on his shoulder, startling him awake. “go get some sleep, gija,” he says. “i’ll take over here.”

gija shakes his head. “i’m fine.”

jaeha settles down beside him regardless. “you look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“i’m not tired.” the words come out sharper than he’d intended, so he adds, “what are you doing up?”

“couldn’t sleep. these little critters are quite loud,” jaeha says, waving a hand languidly to encompass the unseen chorus of nightjars. there’s a restlessness to him that makes gija suspect he isn’t telling the whole truth. he’s been like that all day, glancing in gija’s direction whenever he thought he wasn’t paying attention, worrying at his bottom lip, drumming his fingers. it isn’t as apparent now, but gija can still sense it in the air between them.

“really? i like them. there’s one over there.” he indicates the nightjar at the foot of the tree.

it takes jaeha a moment to spot it. when he does, he remarks about it being cute before falling silent. then, he looks back at gija. “sorry,” he says. “i might’ve gotten carried away with the love potion. i didn’t think you’d take it so seriously.”

“how could i not take it seriously? my behavior towards her highness was unacceptable!”

jaeha stares at him before pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “that’s not what i’m trying to apologize for, gija. that part was hardly my fault anyway.”

“then what are you apologizing for?”

“for kissing you. or whatever.” he looks towards the embers, scowling. “i shouldn’t have done that without asking.”

“oh…” none of the women in his village had ever asked if they could kiss him either, and they hadn’t been under the influence of a dreadful drug, but he suspects that saying that right now wouldn’t make jaeha feel better about the whole matter. “i’m not upset about that,” he says instead.

jaeha turns to look at him again. “you seemed ready to tear me to shreds yesterday.”

“i was…overwhelmed. i-i liked it,” gija admits. beneath the initial surprise and embarrassment he’d felt, there had been an exhilarating feeling like plunging into pleasantly cool lake water before sunrise, while everyone is still asleep. “i just wish you hadn’t taken the love potion.”

the silence stretches out, and jaeha leans back. “right,” he finally drawls, almost like a question.

“if you hadn’t been under the influence, i wouldn’t have pushed you away,” gija adds in an attempt to explain.

jaeha stares at him. “…what?”

“what?”

in the quiet that follows, gija finally realizes what he just said, and more importantly, that it’s true. his face feels hot all of a sudden, and he buries it in his hands. “forget i said anything!”

a beat, and jaeha laughs. gija steals a glance at him; he’s covering his mouth with his hand in an attempt to stifle the laughter so as not to wake anyone, and when he meets gija’s gaze, violet-blue eyes glimmering with mirth and the light of the embers, gija forgets both the embarrassment that seemed ready to swallow him whole moments before, and how to breathe.

“there’s no shame in being wiled by my irresistible charms, gija darling,” he says with a wink and a flip of his long hair, let loose from its ribbon this late at night. gija wonders if his hair feels as silky as it looks. perhaps jaeha would let him reach out and run his fingers through it.

remembering how to speak, gija says, “don’t tease me.”

“oh, but it’s so fun.”

“and i’m not ashamed,” gija adds. if anything, he’s fairly certain what he’s feeling is the opposite of shame, though he’s not quite clear on what to call it.

“good.” jaeha’s voice sounds so soft, and gija wants him to keep talking, wants to be closer to him. however, the fatigue is casting its impenetrable fog over his thoughts, making it difficult to continue speaking.

“gija,” jaeha calls his name in that same tone. “you should go to sleep. i can handle things here.”

he shakes his head.

“what, am i untrustworthy after all?” he clearly intended it as a joke, but there’s a hint of a quiver in his voice. for all his guardedness, he still wants to belong; gija had realized as much the moment he saw the awestruck expression on his face during their conversation back in awa.

“i trust you!” he blurts out, desperate to salvage this new fragile bond building between them. “i just— i want to be useful.”

“and passing out from exhaustion plays into that how exactly?”

the words sting despite the lightness of his tone, but jaeha wouldn’t have said them if he wasn’t worried, so gija announces, “i’ll sleep here, then,” before shifting closer and resting his head on jaeha’s shoulder. he can hear jaeha murmur something in response but he’s too tired to catch it.

[neixins]

[ID: a compilation of panels from "yona of the dawn", focused on parallels between gija and jaeha (left column) and ayura and tetra (right column). descriptions of each panel are included in alt text. end ID.]

ch. 126 & 112; 96 & 84; 107 & 121; 204.6 & 93

[neixins]

i love calling gijaeha subtextual yaoi bc like. technically it’s true. but also this is some of the subtext in question (just within the first dozen chapters of them meeting, mind u!)

[ID: two pages from “yona of the dawn”. the first is from chapter 35; gija is smiling as he says, “why doesn’t matter. if you feel the way i do…that means i can…trust you to have my back in battle.”; jaeha stares at him before averting his gaze, blushing, and responding, “believe whatever you want.” the second is from chapter 41; gija starts asking, “jaeha, are you—” and is cut off by jaeha stroking his cheek and leaning in close; jaeha says, “things i hate…rules. chains. the four dragon warriors.”; meanwhile, gija keeps interjecting with, “huh? what? hey.”; jaeha continues, “and you. i thought…i hated you too. but…suddenly…you’re all i can think of.” the second half is spoken as he pins gija to the ground and buries his face in the crook of his neck while gija stares ahead in surprise. end ID.]

[neixins]

[ID: the first image is a panel from chapter 89 of “yona of the dawn” depicting jaeha carrying gija on his back; they’re surrounded by soldiers, and kazak is pointing at them. the highlighted part of the text reads: “仲良し?”. the second image is the definition of 仲良し, taken from japandict, which reads: "close friendship, close friend, good friend, bosom buddy, chum, pal, intimate relations, sexual intercourse, sex”. end ID.]

oh i see, i see. they’re literally never, ever beating the allegations (smiles serenely)

[neixins]

[ID: image one: a panel from“yona of the dawn” depicting jaeha leaning over gija, his face buried in the crook of gija's neck; he’s saying, “but…suddenly…you’re all i can think of.” image two: text from “qiang jin jiu” that reads: “Biting down on the back of Shen Zechuan's neck was like taking a mouthful of the most intoxicating elixir.” end ID.]

yona of the dawn, ch 41 / qiang jin jiu, ch 41

[neixins]

thinking about the “he’s stronger than i am” scene again and how deeply jaeha admires gija and his relentless resilience and optimism…… ooughhh guards! the glass!!! pass me the glass i must chew it by the fistfuls!!!!!!!

[neixins]

[ID: fanart of gija and jaeha from “yona of the dawn”. they’re drawn inside a cream-colored square with a blue border, which is placed on a yellow background, with the speech bubbles placed outside the square. at the top of the image are the words “i love you”; jaeha’s hands are placed on gija’s shoulders as he’s speaking, implying that he’s saying the words. gija is staring at him in bemusement, and his dragon hand is curled into a fist; there are flowers doodled around his head, and sparkles around his fist. he says, “…what did you consume this time? do you need a punch in the stomach??”. an arrow pointing to the speech bubble reads “genuinely concerned”. jaeha responds, “no. omg why”. the second image is a chibi-style drawing of gija blushing and holding a hand to his chest; there’s a thought bubble containing a question mark next to his head. end ID.]

never let me near my ships i’m sorry 

bonus kija doing the “what is this feeling in my chest” bc i felt bad

[neixins]

what if we got our supernaturally powerful limbs cut off by a bunch of vindictive gods while stuck inside an eldritch realm and amidst all that i found it pertinent to tell u “let’s train your left hand, shall we”. and we were both boys

[neixins]

happy gijaeha gtuesday! what’s an underrated moment you love? 🎤

THANK U FOR INDULGING ME LIKE THIS <3 i couldn’t possibly pick one single moment so i’ll just keep going until i can’t add any more images

i’m gonna stick to truly underrated moments btw, so no hot springs bonus chapter, no “if you feel the way i do, that means i can trust you to have my back in battle”, no love potion shenanigans, no “he’s stronger than i am” and adjacent moments, no “it’s refreshing to hear you discuss important things”, no cool battle couple moments, no “if you keep being so reckless, you’ll get yourself killed”, no “you can still live” (and definitely not those last two in relation to each other…... that’s already its own post actually). on that note, i’m also not gonna be including anything i’ve already posted about even if it’d technically count otherwise. was this an excuse to mention all of those moments anyway? perhaps! but u asked for underrated and underrated i shall deliver. ready? let’s go! <3

[transcription note: all the upcoming images are panels from “yona of the dawn”. end note.]

the first moment that comes to mind is this one from ch 135. like gija doesn’t tend to think things through often (he’s far from stupid; he’s just not a Thinker), but this—finding a way to use mizari’s interest in their powers to their advantage, in this case specifically to help jaeha—is just so endlessly interesting to me

[ID: part of a page consisting of multiple panels. mizari is clapping excitedly, saying, “that was incredible! how wonderful! how do you enlarge it? if i trained hard, could i do it too?”; jaeha is breathing heavily, visibly exhausted, and gija watches him before saying, “could you…bring us some meat dishes?”; mizari looks confused as he asks, “meat dishes?”; gija says, “jaeha’s gotten awfully anemic.”; yun adds, “some liver from a cow or a bird would be best.”. end ID.]

i also love it when he’s not using any of those braincells that he clearly has though <3 like this moment in ch 155. it’s also really sweet how he just continues chilling beside jaeha throughout the rest of the scene despite doing an absolutely abysmal job of hiding his hand

[ID: a panel showing jaeha and gija in a hot spring; jaeha says, “another guest, hmm? we won’t be able to leave for a while.”; gija moves to stand in front of him, holding out his arms, and says, “you can hide behind me, then!”; jaeha responds, “you shouldn’t have your hand out where anyone can see it, either.”. end ID.]

married couple behavior from ch 129. leaving out the previous panel so that i can include more moments but this happens after jaeha calls them the beautiful monsters of kohka

[ID: a panel showing gija as he turns towards jaeha to correct him, saying, “the four dragon warriors.”; jaeha responds, “fine, fine. what he said.”. end ID.]

speaking of which, i love it so much when they have basically the same reaction to things (the examples below are from ch 172 but there’s more i’m not including). this becomes more prevalent later on which is just such a cute detail like yessss impact each other’s lives all the way down to picking up each other’s mannerisms <3

[ID: the first panel shows jaeha and gija leaning over the edge of a cart with similar expressions of surprise; jaeha asks, “algira? voldo?!” and gija asks, “why are you here?”; algira shushes them. in the second panel, zeno says, “the fellow sure is popular. when did that happen?”; gija and jaeha are standing beside him, both staring wide-eyed. end ID.]

this bit from ch 203 is soooo unbelievably funny to me. “i can’t take u guys” he says, holding onto gija……

[ID: a panel showing yona and the four dragons. she says, “but…i’ve only just been permitted to see you all here.”; jaeha says, “we’ll go through the window. even if we’re caught, i doubt they’ll try to harm us.”; gija says, “great! let’s go.” as he climbs onto jaeha’s back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders; sinha is clinging onto gija’s shoulder while zeno is doing the same to jaeha; jaeha says, “hey, i can’t take you guys.”; his hands are hooked beneath gija’s legs, holding him up. end ID.]

“woohoo! you’re so cool, gija!” from ch 159. they’re never EVER beating those allegations

[ID: a panel showing gija stepping forward, saying, “everyone, step aside. i’ll handle this.”; behind him, jaeha cheers, “woohoo! you’re so cool, gija!”; they’re both shirtless. end ID.]

love it when jaeha’s like “don’t ruin your pretty face” whenever gija’s acting feral. the example below is from ch 35 but there’s also a similar moment in ch 86.

[ID: a panel showing jaeha saying, “good grief. gija’s going to ruin his pretty face.”. end ID.]

who would i be if i didn’t include a panel where they’re badly injured and covered in blood? :) i’m just obsessed with the exasperated fondness here (also with gija’s chronic fatigue and other assorted issues codedness) (ch 143)

[ID: a panel showing gija slumped against jaeha, the psychomimes indicating that he’s woozy; jaeha smiles slightly as he says, “good grief. you’re nowhere near recovered.”. end ID.]

there are many candidates vying for the final spot but i gotta give it to this panel from ch 225. there are many implications one can glean from this if one is a yaoi scholar like myself but also just look at them. LOOK!!! THEM <3

[ID: a panel showing gija and jaeha asleep next to each other; gija is sleeping soundly and reaching towards jaeha with his dragon hand, poking the side of his face; jaeha is frowning. end ID.]

[neixins]

the thing about “let’s train your left hand, shall we” is that not only is it so outrageously homoerotic—which it absolutely is!—it’s also such a touching sentiment given how reluctant jaeha’s been to spar with gija up until this point (and i don’t think he’s suddenly offering because he no longer thinks that gija’s stronger than him because that statement’s always been more about gija’s resilience and jaeha’s admiration of him than about brute physical strength; i think he knows that gija’s downplaying his injury just as much as he himself is and that without his dragon hand gija doesn’t actually have any combat skills) like. it’s reassurence as much as it is a delightfully audacious little innuendo and i’m obsessed with it

[neixins]

[ID: four images from the “yona of the dawn” manga, edited onto off-white backgrounds, featuring different instances of jaeha carrying gija on his back. in the first, he’s hoisting gija onto his back as gija exclaims in surprise; gija is wearing jaeha’s robe while jaeha is shirtless. in the second, jaeha is standing with gija on his back and they’re both facing forward, looking vexed. the third image is a chibi-style drawing of jaeha soaring through the air with gija on his back; gija has a bundle of clothes on his back, and he’s blushing slightly. in the fourth image, jaeha is carrying an unconscious gija on his back. end ID.]

[neixins]

[ID: panels from chapter 29 of “yona of the dawn” showing gija looking up at jaeha and speaking excitedly, blushing, while jaeha casts him a sideways glance. the original dialogue has been edited to say “let’s take ibuprofen together”. end ID.]

happy yaoi day this came to me in a migraine-induced haze

[neixins]

[ID: a panel from chapter 253 of “yona of the dawn”, cropped to focus on gija and jaeha, who are sitting side by side, engaged in conversation; gija is holding up his dragon hand as if suggesting a sparring match while jaeha’s holding a hand up as if to dismiss the idea; they’re both smiling widely and blushing slightly. end ID.]

(sniffles) they’re so in love here ……..