kuramochi youichi/miyuki kazuya, daiya no ace blood, mentions of violence, mentions of injury, fantasy & magic au 697 words
"What the hell was that?!" Kuramochi's standing in front of Miyuki, close, too close--blood on his hands, dirt on his face.
It's been like this for days. Running, fighting, trying to make it to the end of this tournament in one piece, let alone win it all. There are close calls every day. They have to be on guard every moment, even when it's just a quick pause like this to catch their breaths after a fight.
"What do you mean?" Miyuki asks. There's not really any use playing dumb--his back's against the wall there, metaphorically, at least--and he knows as well as Kuramochi what that was.
(Quick, and reckless decisions. Using his powers almost beyond his point of control, dangerously close to stepping over the line of what he's just recently learned how to use, magic he's learned to wield as his own, at his fingertips.)
It'd paid off in the end. They'd both escaped mostly unscathed. The rest of their team is safe, and they're heading to meet up with them. But next time might not be as easy.
"Don't play dumb. You know what I mean."
Miyuki laughs. "Concerned? For me?"
Kuramochi doesn't even bother to hide it, to fake it as something else. "Yeah. I am." Then, he quells Miyuki's momentary surprise by punching his shoulder. "Asshole."
"Well, you're not too concerned if you're punching me. What if that was the final thing that broke my bones?"
Kuramochi snorts. "You couldn't get so lucky."
That honestly seems like an accurate prediction. Everything in this maze, this gigantic forest with no end, is a million times more dangerous than Kuramochi's barely there punches and kicks ever could be.
"You're bleeding," Kuramochi says, quieter this time. His hand rests on Miyuki's cheek, wiping the blood away with the sleeve of his jacket. "Stupid."
Kuramochi doesn't pull his hand away, even after Miyuki's pretty sure he's finished wiping the blood, and his fingers brush over Miyuki's cheek. They're gentle. Soft touches. Concerned ones. Like he's double and triple checking that Miyuki is in fact alright after the fight they'd just been through.
For a moment, it catches Miyuki off guard. Until he relaxes, lets himself--his mind, his body--take a break and enjoy it.
"What's with that face?" Kuramochi's question after a few moments of quiet, makes Miyuki open his eyes again, snaps him back (in part) to where they're at again. But Kuramochi doesn't pull his hand away, his fingers still caressing Miyuki's cheek like that's all that matters right now. This. This moment.
You just killed three of those monsters, he wants to say. You just finished being powerful, ruthless, but then can be this way with me.
It's a stark contrast, but a welcome change. He likes that, this about Kuramochi. About them. This is what counts, what matters.
"You're being so gentle," Miyuki finally answers, a concrete explanation of those thoughts.
"Is that a problem?" This time, Kuramochi hesitates in what had been certain before. The brief pause ceases when Miyuki answers.
"No. I like it."
The quick quirk of Kuramochi's lips matches Miyuki's own, now. Like a reflection. This is what they both want, what they both need.
"Good."
Then, more serious, frown back on his lips, forehead creased with worry. "Don't do stupid things like that."
"I had to make a quick decision or we would have--" His hand rests on Kuramochi's forearm, their touches tangled, simultaneous reassurances. I'm still here. We're still here.
"Yeah, but don't take it on all on your own next time." Count on me too.
"Youichi..." Miyuki's fingers slip from Kuramochi's skin, as Kuramochi finally pulls his hand away, lowers it away from Miyuki's face. But the contact doesn't end there, when he catches Miyuki's hand that had fallen in the small space between them. Their fingers tangle together.
"We need to move," Kuramochi explains, his reasoning for the abrupt stop to one contact in favor of initiating another, more pliant one--one they can move with. "There might be more..."
"Okay." It's Miyuki who tugs on Kuramochi's hand, pulls them forward and doesn't let go until next time, next fight is right in front of them.
FILL: TEAM KURAMOCHI YOUICHI/MIYUKI KAZUYA, T
blood, mentions of violence, mentions of injury, fantasy & magic au
697 words
"What the hell was that?!" Kuramochi's standing in front of Miyuki, close, too close--blood on his hands, dirt on his face.
It's been like this for days. Running, fighting, trying to make it to the end of this tournament in one piece, let alone win it all. There are close calls every day. They have to be on guard every moment, even when it's just a quick pause like this to catch their breaths after a fight.
"What do you mean?" Miyuki asks. There's not really any use playing dumb--his back's against the wall there, metaphorically, at least--and he knows as well as Kuramochi what that was.
(Quick, and reckless decisions. Using his powers almost beyond his point of control, dangerously close to stepping over the line of what he's just recently learned how to use, magic he's learned to wield as his own, at his fingertips.)
It'd paid off in the end. They'd both escaped mostly unscathed. The rest of their team is safe, and they're heading to meet up with them. But next time might not be as easy.
"Don't play dumb. You know what I mean."
Miyuki laughs. "Concerned? For me?"
Kuramochi doesn't even bother to hide it, to fake it as something else. "Yeah. I am." Then, he quells Miyuki's momentary surprise by punching his shoulder. "Asshole."
"Well, you're not too concerned if you're punching me. What if that was the final thing that broke my bones?"
Kuramochi snorts. "You couldn't get so lucky."
That honestly seems like an accurate prediction. Everything in this maze, this gigantic forest with no end, is a million times more dangerous than Kuramochi's barely there punches and kicks ever could be.
"You're bleeding," Kuramochi says, quieter this time. His hand rests on Miyuki's cheek, wiping the blood away with the sleeve of his jacket. "Stupid."
Kuramochi doesn't pull his hand away, even after Miyuki's pretty sure he's finished wiping the blood, and his fingers brush over Miyuki's cheek. They're gentle. Soft touches. Concerned ones. Like he's double and triple checking that Miyuki is in fact alright after the fight they'd just been through.
For a moment, it catches Miyuki off guard. Until he relaxes, lets himself--his mind, his body--take a break and enjoy it.
"What's with that face?" Kuramochi's question after a few moments of quiet, makes Miyuki open his eyes again, snaps him back (in part) to where they're at again. But Kuramochi doesn't pull his hand away, his fingers still caressing Miyuki's cheek like that's all that matters right now. This. This moment.
You just killed three of those monsters, he wants to say. You just finished being powerful, ruthless, but then can be this way with me.
It's a stark contrast, but a welcome change. He likes that, this about Kuramochi. About them. This is what counts, what matters.
"You're being so gentle," Miyuki finally answers, a concrete explanation of those thoughts.
"Is that a problem?" This time, Kuramochi hesitates in what had been certain before. The brief pause ceases when Miyuki answers.
"No. I like it."
The quick quirk of Kuramochi's lips matches Miyuki's own, now. Like a reflection. This is what they both want, what they both need.
"Good."
Then, more serious, frown back on his lips, forehead creased with worry. "Don't do stupid things like that."
"I had to make a quick decision or we would have--" His hand rests on Kuramochi's forearm, their touches tangled, simultaneous reassurances. I'm still here. We're still here.
"Yeah, but don't take it on all on your own next time." Count on me too.
"Youichi..." Miyuki's fingers slip from Kuramochi's skin, as Kuramochi finally pulls his hand away, lowers it away from Miyuki's face. But the contact doesn't end there, when he catches Miyuki's hand that had fallen in the small space between them. Their fingers tangle together.
"We need to move," Kuramochi explains, his reasoning for the abrupt stop to one contact in favor of initiating another, more pliant one--one they can move with. "There might be more..."
"Okay." It's Miyuki who tugs on Kuramochi's hand, pulls them forward and doesn't let go until next time, next fight is right in front of them.