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“Are you alright, love? Do you need anything?”
Himiko blinked at her partner through sleepy, bleary eyes. “Mm,” she started, her small frame shaking as she stretched out her legs and curled up against Korekiyo’s chest, “no thanks. I’m okay.”
She had been practicing her magic all afternoon, putting on little shows for Kiyo here and there as a sort of mock audience, but there was still one part of the performance that she couldn’t seem to get right. It wasn’t that all of Himiko’s movements were too tired and clumsy for proper sleight of hand, though… no, she just needed to rest and let her mana come back to her.
Still, Kiyo could tell that she was stressed, from the way she drew in her bottom lip and trembled slightly at the suggestion of sleep. Her next show was just a few days away, and no matter how much Kiyo denied it for Himiko’s sake, they knew that she needed to practice.
But she looked so peaceful getting the rest she so desperately needed, mumbling softly against Kiyo’s chest… maybe the practice could wait until tomorrow.
Besides, they valued her rest and mental health over her magic, even if Himiko didn’t feel the same way; even if Kiyo couldn’t feel the same way about themself.
“Are you certain?” Kiyo asked again, just to be sure. They ran scarred fingertips over the back of Himiko’s head, smiling as she sighed at the touch. “I can bring you some tea, if you’d like.”
Himiko shook her head, carefully wrapping her arm around Kiyo. “Tea is for HP. I need to recover my MP, not HP,” she told them, as if the difference was obvious.
“Alright,” Kiyo played along, raising an eyebrow as they tried to think of things that would help their girlfriend fall asleep, “what, then, will help you to recover your MP? Harry Potter? I will translate again.” Himiko was always enthralled by anything involving witches and wizards, even though it was usually in English and Kiyo had to translate for her. “A myth, perhaps? I have plenty of stories of my own to tell, as well.”
“I just wanna talk,” Himiko said, peeking up at Kiyo’s face. They were looking at her sweetly, the huge book they had been reading placed neatly on the nightstand so she was the center of all their attention. It made Himiko feel even sleepier. “I know I’ll probably fall asleep too fast, but… I wanna talk.”
Kiyo smiled at that and gently kissed the top of her head. “What about?”
“I dunno,” Himiko admitted, chewing on her bottom lip as she tried to think of a topic. “Do you like frogs? I think frogs are cool.”
“Frogs are lovely, darling” Kiyo agreed with a laugh. “It is the popular consensus in many myths from around the world, as well, although the supposed impact of frogs vary in different cultures. Certain African peoples believe the death of a frog brings about drought and famine, while Polynesian peoples believe killing a frog will result in a grand flood.”
Himiko pouted. “I hope people don’t kill frogs. They pee on you, but they’re squishy and nice. I like them. What about salamanders? Didn’t you say they can cast fire spells?” she asked, a bit uncertain. Kiyo had surely mentioned something about them before…
“They are commonly used alongside symbolism of flames in mythology, yes. Much like a phoenix, almost,” Kiyo noted, watching how Himiko smiled slightly at the mention of the fictional bird. “The myth originates from salamanders making their homes in damp wood that was then used as firewood. They would then, of course, escape from the flames, leading to the belief in European and Indian cultures that salamanders were resistant to fire. I’m afraid they have no such power in reality, though.”
“Nyeh… I bet they do,” Himiko argued with a yawn. Her voice was growing sleepier by the second—Korekiyo supposed that was a good thing. “They probably just hide their powers so mean people don’t use them for bad stuff. I bet a fireball from a salamander is even more powerful than mine!”
Kiyo wrapped an arm around Himiko’s back, pulling her closer. Even though they had been together for months now, Kiyo was still amazed by how tiny Himiko felt in their arms. “Perhaps,” they said, grazing their fingertips over her back in tiny circles. “I would love a demonstration, but not tonight. You must get some rest, alright?”
“Mhm…” Himiko agreed. A bit of her drool was already seeping into the front of Kiyo’s shirt, which embarrassed her to no end, but Kiyo could hardly stand to sleep without holding her tightly. They loved warmth more than anything, even more than the magic of air conditioning, but Himiko loved cuddles and making her partner happy much more than air conditioning, so it was okay. “I’ll use my magic to keep you warm all the time,” Himiko added sleepily.
“I would appreciate that,” Korekiyo said, laughing softly. They angled their head down to rest on top of Himiko’s, pressing soft, lazy kisses all over her hair and forehead.
Himiko nudged their leg with hers under the bedsheets in response, sighing into their shirt. “Mm… sorry for being so tired. I can’t help it…”
“It’s alright, dear,” Kiyo assured her. “If anything, really, I want you to sleep. You need rest. You need time to regain your H—no, MP, correct?”
Himiko just giggled at that and nodded against Kiyo’s chest. “Hey, can you tell me about frogs again? I like frogs.”
Korekiyo inevitably agreed, peppering Himiko’s forehead with sweet kisses between each sentence as they rambled about amphibians and their role in ancient cultures for a few more minutes, with only a few stray interjections. Even though she loved it, magic seemed to be off her mind for the night, and it was nice—the rigid stress about the upcoming show was completely gone from her body.
Luckily, Himiko was fast to fall asleep, mumbling and drooling into Kiyo’s shirt as they smoothed down her soft red hair.
Kiyo loved seeing her like this. Himiko rarely got the comfortable rest she deserved, and it filled Kiyo with joy to see the tiny, pouty smile on her face as she slept. “Sweet dreams,” they whispered against her hair as she snored softly.
A small, probably foolish part of them hoped she was dreaming of spell-casting salamanders.