Major Tags: referenced/implied animal death, referenced/implied character death, brief violence, mention of blood Other Tags: spoops Word Count: 753
well first i had to look up what a church grim was and then i was going to make ryousuke the grim, but well.
***
there's a black dog in church doorway. size alone marks it as unnatural, a vast swath of animated darkness, inky and indistinct at the edges. it moves with more than the animal grace of the shape it wears, smooth and soundless, yellow lantern eyes glaring from its amorphous bulk like a warning. there's a growl hanging in the air, less heard than felt, a subvocal rumble that starts at the soles of ryousuke's feet and races up his nerves, reaching for his heart. ryousuke doesn't falter.
he knows what it is, that looming shadow bleeding into the night, teeth and claws as insubstantial as moonlight until they close on someone's throat. haruichi's heavy on his back, dead asleep for the last six miles, ryousuke's legs are sore and tired, and that growl isn't for him. he shoulders past the dog without slowing down. technically the church should reject him, witchblood obvious in his features and his brother's, in the bright blush shade of their hair, but he means no harm and the grim outside likes him. it's not the first time he's had to seek asylum here.
ryousuke desposits haruichi on a pew, pillowing his little brother's head with his own jacket before simply collapsing on the floor, dirty floorboards cool against his sweaty cheek. he should clean up later, ryousuke thinks, somewhere beyond frenzied rhythm of his pulse pounding in his ears. he should do some maintenance, try to keep the church in good repair. it's abandoned, but the guardian spirit persists and ryousuke certainly owes it that much. outside, the growl intensifies into a snarl, then a baying roar. it's terrifying, and the most comforting thing ryousuke's heard all night.
there's shouting in the distance, close enough to make ryousuke haul himself upright and peer around the pew. the sliver of night visible through the doorway is dotted with the pinpoint flicker of at leat half a dozen torches, more than ryousuke was expecting. there is a bounty this time; perhaps he should have known. haruichi murmurs in his sleep but doesn't wake, exhausted by their long flight and his earlier attempt to tangle with untamed magic. he'll be fine, provided they don't both die tonight.
the grim howls again, the sound drawing an echo out of the church bell's dusty, disused throat high overhead. ryousuke should get up and get ready to fight but his limbs are heavy, head lolling on his neck. he closes his eyes for a moment and then hauls himself to his feet.
*
an hour later, it's over. the scent of blood lingers though there are no bodies on the ground, just a patch of scorched grass where a torch was dropped before ryousuke doused it. it was the only spell he'd cast at all, the hunting party scattering quickly once they'd realized what they were up against, the church grim's teeth sunk deep into their leader's shoulder. it won't heal with out a blessing.
ryousuke's slumped just inside the doorway now, and after a moment the grim moves to join him, suddenly a much more manageable size. the blood on its muzzle disappears as it crosses the threshold, dropping its head on ryousuke's knee for all the world like any dog asking for attention. ryousuke wonders if this is what it looked like before it'd been killed to serve as the church's protector. "good boy," he says, resting his hand on the grim's head, and he doesn't startle at all as the dog starts to shift.
a moment later there's a boy in a ragged black robe lying with his head in ryousuke's lap. ryousuke continues to stroke his hair, spiky and dark, coarse against ryousuke's calloused palm. the grim's eye are still wild and amber bright, even half-closed in contentment, and ryousuke is acutely aware that he's only able to touch him because the grim wants him to.
"it would be easier to hide if you did something about your hair," the grim says pressing his cheek against ryousuke's thigh in clear demand for continued petting. "you stick out too much."
"it won't take dye," ryousuke says, "i've tried."
"well then you'll just have to move back here," the grim concludes, as if it's the only possible solution. ryousuke laughs.
"maybe you're right," he says, eyes starting to close. the grim makes a noise clearly meaning of course i'm right but doesn't try to keep ryousuke awake, settled watchfully across the doorway. ryousuke will have to thank him properly in the morning.
FILL: team kominato ryousuke/kuramochi youichi, T
Other Tags: spoops
Word Count: 753
well first i had to look up what a church grim was and then i was going to make ryousuke the grim, but well.
***
there's a black dog in church doorway. size alone marks it as unnatural, a vast swath of animated darkness, inky and indistinct at the edges. it moves with more than the animal grace of the shape it wears, smooth and soundless, yellow lantern eyes glaring from its amorphous bulk like a warning. there's a growl hanging in the air, less heard than felt, a subvocal rumble that starts at the soles of ryousuke's feet and races up his nerves, reaching for his heart. ryousuke doesn't falter.
he knows what it is, that looming shadow bleeding into the night, teeth and claws as insubstantial as moonlight until they close on someone's throat. haruichi's heavy on his back, dead asleep for the last six miles, ryousuke's legs are sore and tired, and that growl isn't for him. he shoulders past the dog without slowing down. technically the church should reject him, witchblood obvious in his features and his brother's, in the bright blush shade of their hair, but he means no harm and the grim outside likes him. it's not the first time he's had to seek asylum here.
ryousuke desposits haruichi on a pew, pillowing his little brother's head with his own jacket before simply collapsing on the floor, dirty floorboards cool against his sweaty cheek. he should clean up later, ryousuke thinks, somewhere beyond frenzied rhythm of his pulse pounding in his ears. he should do some maintenance, try to keep the church in good repair. it's abandoned, but the guardian spirit persists and ryousuke certainly owes it that much. outside, the growl intensifies into a snarl, then a baying roar. it's terrifying, and the most comforting thing ryousuke's heard all night.
there's shouting in the distance, close enough to make ryousuke haul himself upright and peer around the pew. the sliver of night visible through the doorway is dotted with the pinpoint flicker of at leat half a dozen torches, more than ryousuke was expecting. there is a bounty this time; perhaps he should have known. haruichi murmurs in his sleep but doesn't wake, exhausted by their long flight and his earlier attempt to tangle with untamed magic. he'll be fine, provided they don't both die tonight.
the grim howls again, the sound drawing an echo out of the church bell's dusty, disused throat high overhead. ryousuke should get up and get ready to fight but his limbs are heavy, head lolling on his neck. he closes his eyes for a moment and then hauls himself to his feet.
*
an hour later, it's over. the scent of blood lingers though there are no bodies on the ground, just a patch of scorched grass where a torch was dropped before ryousuke doused it. it was the only spell he'd cast at all, the hunting party scattering quickly once they'd realized what they were up against, the church grim's teeth sunk deep into their leader's shoulder. it won't heal with out a blessing.
ryousuke's slumped just inside the doorway now, and after a moment the grim moves to join him, suddenly a much more manageable size. the blood on its muzzle disappears as it crosses the threshold, dropping its head on ryousuke's knee for all the world like any dog asking for attention. ryousuke wonders if this is what it looked like before it'd been killed to serve as the church's protector. "good boy," he says, resting his hand on the grim's head, and he doesn't startle at all as the dog starts to shift.
a moment later there's a boy in a ragged black robe lying with his head in ryousuke's lap. ryousuke continues to stroke his hair, spiky and dark, coarse against ryousuke's calloused palm. the grim's eye are still wild and amber bright, even half-closed in contentment, and ryousuke is acutely aware that he's only able to touch him because the grim wants him to.
"it would be easier to hide if you did something about your hair," the grim says pressing his cheek against ryousuke's thigh in clear demand for continued petting. "you stick out too much."
"it won't take dye," ryousuke says, "i've tried."
"well then you'll just have to move back here," the grim concludes, as if it's the only possible solution. ryousuke laughs.
"maybe you're right," he says, eyes starting to close. the grim makes a noise clearly meaning of course i'm right but doesn't try to keep ryousuke awake, settled watchfully across the doorway. ryousuke will have to thank him properly in the morning.