Himuro Tatsuya/Kagami Taiga; Kuroko no Basuke no tags; soul vampire au word count: 456
Tatsuya is young and foolish, and he's still new to this hunger when he meets Taiga. All he knows is that there's a boy sitting on his own, with so much energy that he's a beacon for creatures like Tatsuya. Just looking at him is enough to have Tatsuya hungering.
It helps that they both speak the same language, and Tatsuya can feel the flame of Taiga's spirit burning brightly as they introduce themselves to each other and just as easy as that, they get along. Tatsuya isn't yet sure if he wants a friend of prey, so he does what his parents have taught him; he errs on the side of caution.
His parents call themselves soul vampires, but Tatsuya doesn't know if that's quite the right term for it. They can leave their prey soulless, if they want, but that's not necessarily how they feed. Tatsuya finds that being around people with strong spirits is enough. He can drink his fill of their presence, and the stronger the person's spirit, the less likely they are to notice that some of it is being drained away.
Tatsuya doesn't think that Taiga noices, as they play basketball together and grow up together.
It's not until their early teens that Taiga clears his throat one afternoon, as they walk together, and says, "You're not… human, are you?"
Tatsuya is careful not to let his expression give him away. "That's a weird question to ask."
"But I'm right," Taiga says, turning to him. "Aren't I? Look, I don't care if you're… whatever. We're friends. We've known each other for so long, if you were dangerous and wanted to hurt me, you would've taken your chance a long time ago."
With a quiet laugh, Tatsuya tilts his head to the side. "It sounds like you've been thinking hard about this."
"Maybe," Taiga mumbles, sounding a little embarrassed. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"I live off energy," Tatsuya explains. "Emotions. Your spirit. You're absolutely brimming with it, so maybe you haven't noticed—"
"I have," Taiga tells him. "I'm always a little tired after we hang out. I tohught it was just because we were playing basketball, but…"
"I'm sorry," Tatsuya says softly.
"Nah. Don't be." Taiga reaches over, taking Tatsuya's hand and squeezing. "When I'm with you, I kind of… feel a lot. Do you notice that too?"
"I do," Tatsuya murmurs, looking down at their joined hands. "Taiga, when we touch, it's easier for me to drain from you."
"I don't mind," Taiga tells him, squeezing his hand tighter. "It's worth it."
Taiga's words come with a rush of affection and energy that flows directly into Tatsuya.
FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G
no tags; soul vampire au
word count: 456
Tatsuya is young and foolish, and he's still new to this hunger when he meets Taiga. All he knows is that there's a boy sitting on his own, with so much energy that he's a beacon for creatures like Tatsuya. Just looking at him is enough to have Tatsuya hungering.
It helps that they both speak the same language, and Tatsuya can feel the flame of Taiga's spirit burning brightly as they introduce themselves to each other and just as easy as that, they get along. Tatsuya isn't yet sure if he wants a friend of prey, so he does what his parents have taught him; he errs on the side of caution.
His parents call themselves soul vampires, but Tatsuya doesn't know if that's quite the right term for it. They can leave their prey soulless, if they want, but that's not necessarily how they feed. Tatsuya finds that being around people with strong spirits is enough. He can drink his fill of their presence, and the stronger the person's spirit, the less likely they are to notice that some of it is being drained away.
Tatsuya doesn't think that Taiga noices, as they play basketball together and grow up together.
It's not until their early teens that Taiga clears his throat one afternoon, as they walk together, and says, "You're not… human, are you?"
Tatsuya is careful not to let his expression give him away. "That's a weird question to ask."
"But I'm right," Taiga says, turning to him. "Aren't I? Look, I don't care if you're… whatever. We're friends. We've known each other for so long, if you were dangerous and wanted to hurt me, you would've taken your chance a long time ago."
With a quiet laugh, Tatsuya tilts his head to the side. "It sounds like you've been thinking hard about this."
"Maybe," Taiga mumbles, sounding a little embarrassed. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"I live off energy," Tatsuya explains. "Emotions. Your spirit. You're absolutely brimming with it, so maybe you haven't noticed—"
"I have," Taiga tells him. "I'm always a little tired after we hang out. I tohught it was just because we were playing basketball, but…"
"I'm sorry," Tatsuya says softly.
"Nah. Don't be." Taiga reaches over, taking Tatsuya's hand and squeezing. "When I'm with you, I kind of… feel a lot. Do you notice that too?"
"I do," Tatsuya murmurs, looking down at their joined hands. "Taiga, when we touch, it's easier for me to drain from you."
"I don't mind," Taiga tells him, squeezing his hand tighter. "It's worth it."
Taiga's words come with a rush of affection and energy that flows directly into Tatsuya.
Smiling, Tatsuya just squeezes his hand in reply.