Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The heroes were having a party together. It was great. It was fun. There was just one fucking problem. It’s the first time Mana has seen Wen since he realized he was in love with him.

It started small. Mana’s heart fluttered whenever Wen brushed past him and their shoulders touched or Wen fought alongside him in battle or even just Wen smiling and bantering at him. And don’t get him started on Wen’s laugh.

The shittiest part about it all was that Mana doubted it at first. Like he was deep in denial. Before Wen he had only ever liked girls (even though they all left him for bigger fish in the sea). He felt like a big weirdo when he realized.

Of course there was nothing wrong with being gay. Several of the heroes were. Maybe all of them. Mana couldn’t tell and he didn’t care until now.

But now here he was at a heroes house party. Everyone was dressed up a little bit, each according to their own styles, but the person that stood out the most to Mana was Wen. Usually he was dressed in casual, sporty clothes that more often than not showed off his fabulous calves.

Today, Wen wore some sexy black pants that hugged his legs, a long sleeve white dress shirt and a nice pink sweater vest that matched the color of his hair.

Although they all put effort into their appearences, it wasn’t that formal of an event, but it was nice to see everyone in clothes other than their hero uniforms while they hung out.

Mana was standing with Wen, Rai and Vanta. They chatted about this and that, hopping in whenever they had something to say and switching who they were talking to regularly. Rito, Ittetsu and Vezalius were over by the food, chatting and snacking. Sho, Rou, Kagetsu and Wilson were all by the TV, screaming as they betrayed each other in m*rio k*rt. The latter two in particular were passionate in their words.

Mana was sipping from a can of alcohol to stop him from glancing over at Wen all the time. But he noticed that Wen himself had already gone through two or three and was now opening even another one.

”Dude you should just do it,” Vanta slurred at one point in their conversation. He caught Mana discreetly looking over at Wen. He was drunk already though he was only one drink in.

”Yabai. Have I been caught?” Mana shot back playfully. Maybe it’ll look better if he made it not a big deal.

“You’re shit at hiding it, TBH.” Vanta’s eyes slid over to Mana’s lazily. “It’s sooooo obvious dude like I’m drunk and even I can tell.”

Mana sighed. “Am I hopeless?”

”Yeah you are. Just ask him out already, man!”

”B-but how do I know if he even likes guys?”

”You don’t until you ask… I didn’t even know it was possible to like guys until like, last year.”

The group playing games on the couch roared into laughter.

”It’s decided. If you don’t do anything by the end of tonight, you owe me twenty dollars. No take backsies.”

”What? Wait. I didn’t even agree to that-“

Vanta had already joined Wen and Rai’s discussion, so Mana was left to stew in his words. No matter how he thought of it, there was obviously a winning scenario and a losing scenario. Either he stayed quiet and lost twenty dollars to Vanta or he confessed to Wen and got twenty dollars as well as possibly gain a boyfriend.

”Um- Wen…” Mana called out nervously.

”Hm~?” Wen turned to look at Mana with those gorgeous blue eyes and Mana immediately lost his courage.

“W-What flavor is your drink?” He asked instead. He saw Vanta give him a look. “I-I wanna try it!”

“It’s the same as all the other ones,” Wen said, but he handed over his drink anyways. “Look, you just finished one yourself.”

“I know, I just didn’t want to open another one,” Mana lied as he took a sip and handed it back.

“Well, well~ You know that I always bring plenty~” Wen turned back to continue his conversation.

Mana found that Vanta was staring at him again. He brought up a hand to his mouth and whispered, “Twenty dollars…”

”Fuck you,” Mana whispered back but the alcohol was probably starting to hit him because that was the last push he needed. But a little more liquid courage couldn’t hurt.

Right as Wen was in the middle of laughing at something dumb one of the others did, Mana took Wen’s can, brought it to his mouth, and downed a gulp. 

This stuff’s disgusting, he thought as he swallowed. It burned his throat and left a bitter aftertaste.

“Oi!” Wen snatched the can back from Mana but not before he was taking another mouthful. He continued with a laugh, “What do you think you’re doing!”

God, his laugh is cute as hell. It struck a chord in Mana’s heart and the alcohol in his system mixed with his blood until it gave him a stupidly courageous idea. It’s now or never.

“If you like the flavor that much then-“

He reached over to grab Wen’s wrist, the one that was holding the can, and then he leaned forward to kiss him. Mouth full of alcohol and all. The can clattered to the floor.

Damn, I probably should have asked him first, Mana realized but he was too far in now to care. The world was going silent around them because nothing else mattered. His heart was thundering in his chest. This was such a bad idea.

Suddenly he felt something against his lips. Before he could fully realize what it was, it had slipped between them and entered his mouth. Gently, a hand held his face as the alcohol dripped down their chins. Wen was taking the drink back straight from his mouth. It felt dirty, but it also felt good.

It wasn’t long before they broke apart and Mana gasped for air, coughing because holy shit was that drink gross. With Wen that close, Mana probably would have gone into cardiac arrest if it had gone on for any longer. His heart was still racing.

A second passed before he realized that the room wasn’t quiet because he blocked out the sound, it was quiet because everyone was looking.

“YESSSSS!”

Everyone looked over to see Wilson punching the air in victory, his name showing at the top of the m*rio k*rt leaderboard. He seemed to notice how quiet everyone was and turned around in alarm. 

When his wide eyes landed on Mana and Wen across the room, he squeaked out a little, “oh” before slapping a hand over his mouth and sitting back down. Kagetsu, who had also turned around, was gaping in shock.

The room burst into sound.

”Oh my god!” Vezalius gasped in his french accent.

”Finally!” Usami shouted, then leaned over to whisper to Ittetsu, “I don’t know how much longer I could bear watching them flirt. Mecha sexy~”

“O-oriens…” Ittetsu quietly cheered, raising a fist.

”Oi, get a fucking room,” one of dytica complained, while the rest of the heroes just laughed.

“Holy shit,” Mana heard Vanta sneak over to the couch and whisper to Wilson, “Love wins.”

”W-W-Why is everyone looking?!” Mana suddenly spewed. His face was burning a bright red, but he thought he still had a chance to save himself. “Wen and I were just sharing a drink! Mind your own business!”

”Feeling shame for your actions, Mana-kun~?” Sho called.

”Just sharing a drink, huh?” Mana turned back to Wen, whose eyes were averted. He was wiping his chin. “I didn’t know you felt that way.”

The others were on the edge of their seats as they watched. They anticipated something big was about to go down and they didn’t want to miss it.

“Ah, wait, Wen-“ Mana reached out, feeling as if he had made a mistake. “I didn’t mean-“

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence because Wen was bolder than he gave him credit for.

Wen pulled him in by the waist and locked them in another kiss, this one more hungry than the last without the threat of alcohol spilling on the floor. Between the tenderness of Wen’s lips and the bitter taste of his breath on his own Mana was completely frozen in place.

AAHHH!! WEN AKAGI, THIS IS TOO MUCH!!!

”UWAA!!!” Ittetsu groaned as if he had just been stabbed.

“Not in my house, not in my house! Take that shit outside!”

Mana’s stomach was on fire and all of his nerves alight as Rai pushed them apart and shoved them out the door in swift fashion.

“Come back when you have some sense of decency!” He yelled after slamming the door.

“Don’t pay attention to them, Mana.” Wen’s face was split into a handsome smile that showed off all of his jagged teeth. Mana just stared as he licked his lips. “You know, I think I liked the flavor of the drink just now. May I try it again? Since we’re sharing drinks and all.”

Mana’s face flushed once more. Wen, you smooth bastard! Let me have some of that charisma!

“D-depends,” Mana cleared his throat. Come on, these are the moments he’s been waiting for. “Will you let me try yours whenever I ask?”

“As long as you ask! I’m not stingy about my drinks~”

Mana laughed a little bit, as a weight was lifted from his shoulders. The moments just now sobered Mana up anyway, and a new courage was blooming somewhere that wasn’t rooted in alcohol.

Wen got close again. “So may I?”

“Yeah,” Mana whispered a little bashfully. “Kanpai~”

”Kanpai~~”

And they both leaned in.

Chapter Text

Kagetsu was special. That was one thing that Shou could not deny. Kagetsu Murakumo, ninja of dytica, was special to him. He had been for a while but Shou had never told a single soul until now. But that wasn’t the only thing. He was also skilled, smart and beyond talented. Shou admired his experience from the day they met.

So how was it that they ended up in this situation? 

A mission Shou led ended in a fucking failure. Rou and Rai landed themselves in the hospital and still haven’t woken up, even though it was past two days already and now Kagetsu was mad at him for some reason.

It seriously should not have been that big of a deal. They were just doing some scouting mission and got ambushed along the way. Nothing anyone could have predicted.

”Man…” Shou whimpered as he rested his body on Rai’s hospital bed. “I’ll be the only member of dytica left if you don’t wake up soon… You can’t be this dead to the world..”

As much as Shou wanted to find Kagetsu and figure out what was wrong, he couldn’t find it inside of him to leave these two members of the team out. As much as Sho wanted to see Kagetsu’s dumb face smiling again, he would prefer that all of the team could laugh together.

“What should I do, what should I do, Rai? I don’t think Kagetsu wants to see me right now but I should really figure out what’s wrong.” Shou closed his eyes to listen. The response was silence.

The sun was setting when Shou opened his eyes again. He fell asleep. His arms were sore because of it. Both Rou and Rai continued to lay still.

His heart was hurt. He really really liked Kagetsu and he wanted them all to continue to be a team, but it was starting to look like Kagetsu didn’t think in the same way. Sho noticed that he didn’t even visit once.

Shou pushed the chair back as he stood off. “Looks like I should be on my way,” he announced. “I’ll see if I can find Kagetsu before I visit in the morning.”

Shou rarely slept, if at all. He only ever did it out of boredom when there was really nothing else to do. His body just didn’t need that kind of rest. He spent the night walking around the city streets, judging the appearances of places he walked past and feeding any strays that he found. It was after a while that Shou realized that he was standing at Kagetsu’s front door.

Shou figured it would not hurt to try knocking. He knocked on the door several times and waited for some minutes before trying again. After ten minutes he accepted defeat. Kagetsu wasn’t at home either.

“You know what Kagetsu’s most admirable trait is?” Shou asked the next morning while visiting his team in the hospital. “He’s so passionate. He does everything with a beautiful vigor. I wish I could experience the world as thoroughly as he does.”

Several instances of this passion that made Shou like Kagetsu popped into his head. Kagetsu challenged him to a fight during the first week they met and the match was neck and neck. He was so loud and lively during training that even though Sho told him to shut up many times, it began to grow on him. This was not to mention Kagetsu’s mission plans whenever they were in a pinch. He was a total lifesaver.

”And he’s totally attractive too. He takes care of everyone on missions even though he acts like he hates spending time with us. And he can take a joke. Kagetsu is so dedicated and talented, plus he’s strong even though he’s not much bigger than Rai. Ah! Sorry Rai, I think you’re strong too.”

Shou got the feeling that he was starting to say too much so he talked about something else. It was getting uncomfortable even though the other two couldn’t speak.

“But even though I like him so much, I can’t figure out what’s going through his head right now. I get that he’s mad at me for not being prepared enough. I can forgive that. But what I cannot get over is the fact that he will not come to visit. How can he be so cold at a time like this?”

Neither Rai nor Rou responded. It was about time Shou found something to eat anyways. “I’ll be going to that place we went to for lunch last week. And I’ll bring back something for you guys, too. Don’t worry.”

The restaurant was closed when Shou arrived but he didn’t feel like searching for another place to eat so he just took a seat on a bench outside.

Shou put his head down in contemplation.

He could understand Kagetsu to a certain degree. Shou was also frustrated at himself for letting Rai and Rou get hurt. What was the point of being billions of years old if he couldn’t keep his companions around for more than one?

But Shou could not understand that Kagetsu would disappear at a time like this. How heartless. Or was Shou the heartless one?

Seeing the others’ sleeping faces reminded him of the mission so he usually kept his eyes elsewhere.

”Ambush! Rou, get behind me!” 

The opposing forces hit them in the rear first and rendered Rou immobile with a shot to the leg. Kagetsu quickly came to his aid to defend him. Rai and Shou were busy in the front fighting off a couple of others.

”I’ve got it handled from here,” Shou told Rai. “Go make sure Kagetsu and Rou are okay.”

”Roger that.”

But soon after Rai disappeared around the corner, Shou’s enemies began to retreat.

“Like hell you’re getting away!” Shou chased after them and caught them with his tentacles. He made sure to dislocate about half of their limbs each to teach them a lesson, then he called nearby enforcement to report the situation.

When he returned to the ambush site, medical personnel were already there and Kagetsu was fuming.

”What the fuck was that?” He demanded. “You left me alone with two injured people! What the hell is your problem?!”

”What’s what? What happened?”

”You left us! That’s the problem!” Kagetsu wouldn’t even look at Shou or give him a proper answer.

”Kagetsu-“ It was too late. The ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The mission couldn’t really go on after that.

Shou might have been the heartless one in this scenario. What kind of hero leaves his team behind?

“I heard every single bit of the dumb shit you moaned about at the hospital.”

Shou’s head snapped up. His eyes were wide with shock as they focused on the person that stood before him. Rou’s eyes were stern. His arms were crossed. He even looked disappointed in the way that Shou was just sitting by himself.

”Rou! You’re awake! When did you wake up?”

“Not long after you left. Next time think about our feelings before you dump all that shit on us, you bastard. I don’t want to hear fuck all about your love life ever again.”

”My sincerest apologies.” Shou was not sorry in the slightest because Rou had enough energy to start picking fights right out of the hospital. “Have you seen Kagetsu since you woke up?”

”No but he actually visited last night. When you went to look for him.” 

Rou had a hurt look on his face. Not the kind of hurt that existed in the body but the kind of hurt that existed in the heart.

“He thinks it’s his fault, that guy. Nevermind me being taken totally off guard. He’s all mopey about it. You should be able to find him at home now but I don’t know if that will make him feel better.”

“You should come with me,” Shou stood up. “That’ll probably brighten his mood.”

”Nah. Kagetsu’s feelings will be your problem since you’re in love with him.” Rou barely waved before walking away. “Good luck.”

xxx

Shou was standing in front of Kagetsu’s door for the second time in 12 hours. He did not lift a hand to knock nor could he find the full set of words he wanted to use.

So Kagetsu thought the entire thing was his fault. How come? He was taken off guard as much as the rest of them when they were ambushed and he fought just as much as the rest of them. And maybe he didn’t think Shou was the heartless one after all. Or did he?

The door opened by itself after about 30 minutes. Shou couldn’t help starting to feel guilt once he saw matted white hair and puffy red eyes. It seems Kagetsu couldn’t help starting to feel something either since he tried to shut the door almost immediately. Shou jammed his foot into the gap before he could.

”Kagetsu,” Shou called out quietly. With only a small space between the door and the frame, he couldn’t see Kagetsu’s face at all. “Let’s have a little talk.”

Kagetsu kept trying to force the door closed for another second before giving up.

”Fine.” The door opened again.

Shou entered the house and closed the door behind him. All of the curtain windows were drawn and the lights were off. They each took a seat on opposite ends of Kagetsu’s couch.

”So what have you been doing these past few days?” Shou asked politely.

”Just get to the point,” snapped Kagetsu. He was never one to draw things out.

Shou smiled. Just another thing he liked Kagetsu for.

“I noticed that I haven’t seen you in a couple of days even though Rou and Rai are the ones bedridden and you’re completely fine.”

”So?”

”Well I’m just bothered by the fact that I haven’t seen you visit them once.” Shou was going to keep Rou’s awakening a secret, for now.

Kagetsu immediately changed the subject. “I told you to get to the point. This is about the mission, isn’t it?”

”Not at all.”

“I’ll admit that I was out of line to disappear like that. The others were already in good hands at that point. The mission should come first then.”

He thinks it’s his fault, that guy.

What part did he feel at fault for? Shou wondered.

“Yeah speaking of, why did you leave? I can’t do a mission on my own, you know.”

”I was pissed, that’s why.”

Shou waited for any elaboration but being faced with none, he prompted, ”Why were you pissed?”

”Didn’t I already tell you? You fucking left.”

”Yeah, I was chasing down the bad guys and I caught them.”

”Why did you have to chase them down?”

“Um, they started running.”

“You should have checked on us first,” Kagetsu huffed.

”The hell? They only began to retreat when Rai joined you guys.”

”What?”

”I told Rai to go cover for you guys and as soon as he was gone, the ambushers turned tail. That’s when I started chasing.”

“Tch.”

Shou looked intently as Kagetsu held his chin in contemplation. Once in a while he would shake his head and blink a long blink.

If Kagetsu ended up still being mad at him after all of this, Shou would still be happy to watch him from afar like this. Anything, as long as it meant Kagetsu was still in his life. His special person.

Quietly, Kagetsu spoke again. “No matter how I think about it, it probably turned out exactly as they planned. Take Rou out first and that’s half of our fighting power. I’m not as good with so many enemies so Rai comes over to help hold them off…”

Shou listened as Kagetsu explained the whole ordeal.

”Then when you’re lured away, that’s the other half of our power. Our forces are now separated. With Rai on our side, I went behind enemy lines to take out the ranged fighters.”

”If that’s what the genius ninja says then it must be true.”

Kagetsu gave Shou a poisonous look. “Don’t patronize me,” he bit.

“What came next?”

Kagetsu closed his mouth and returned to staring at the floorboards. Were they growing mold or something? Shou wondered.

”When I came back…”

”?” If Shou listened closely enough, he thought that he could hear Kagetsu’s voice waver.

”When I came back, they were already unconscious and the enemy was standing over them.”

Shou watched as a flood of tears ran down Kagetsu’s face, dripping onto his lap, dripping onto the floor. He was taken aback all the sudden but he didn’t even need to think to move over to where Kagetsu was before wrapping an arm around his back. His small body was shaking.

“I-I thought they were fucking dead.”

Shou’s blood went cold as he continued.

“I went for 2 minutes and t-they died. The enemy left when they saw me. And then I couldn’t find you either.”

A sob found its way out of Kagetsu’s throat as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Shou didn’t mean to make him cry like this. Really, he didn’t mean to and now he was at a loss of what to do. 

“Kagetsu…”

”I thought, ‘what if they killed you too?’! I already checked up on R-Rou and Rai and confirmed they were alive, but…”

All he could manage was to lean over and embrace him. To hold him close and hope it would turn out alright.

”Kagetsu…”

It might have been the right thing to do or it might not have been, since Kagetsu threw his arms around Shou’s back and grabbed his shirt roughly, still sobbing.

“For a minute there, I thought I was the only one left…”

He thought he was the only one left.

Shou grit his teeth and hugged Kagetsu tighter. He also felt that same hopelessness for the last couple of days as his team recovered but he couldn’t imagine thinking that while his teammates were injured, in front of him.

”It’s an awful thought,” he agreed slowly. “But I’m right here. The others are fine, too. I’ve been keeping them company so don’t you worry.”

Kagetsu’s hair smelled like open air and fragrant wood under his nose.

”Let’s just focus on calming down now. I’m staying right next to you.” Kagetsu’s hands loosened slightly at the reassurance.

They stayed like that for who knows how long. Kagetsu taking refuge in Shou’s arms without complaint and Shou shielding him from the rest of the world. He would hold him for a billion more years of his lifetime if it meant that Kagetsu didn’t ever feel like that again. 

To be the only one left. What a horrible thought.

It was a long time but Kagetsu was the one that pulled away first. His eyes were red and Shou could see the clear tracks that ran down his face. What else could he do to help once everything was said and done?

”Ah, let me get you a water bottle. Can’t have you crying yourself into dehydration. Speaking of, have you been drinking water properly these last few days?”

As soon as Shou stood up from his seat, Kagetsu’s hand shot out to grab his. If Shou felt any internal elation from this, he didn’t let it show.

”I thought you said you were staying right next to me?” Kagetsu asked slyly.

Shou rolled his eyes and sat right back down.

”Obviously that’s because you were being a crybaby but I have absolutely never lied in my life.” He turned his hair into tentacles that reached into Kagetsu’s kitchen for any water lying around.

”If I was being a crybaby does that mean you’ll hold me until I stop crying every single time?” Kagetsu smirked as he accepted the water.

”Oi, think you can play games with me now that I was nice to you for one minute, huh?”

Shou was painfully aware of Kagetsu still holding his hand. He chose to ignore it. 

“What games? I’m being serious.”

”This is your idea of serious? Give them a finger and they’ll take the whole hand,” Shou sighed.

”Like what I have right now?” Kagetsu raised their interlocking fingers between them. Shou winced as he did.

”Isn’t it a bit too early to be playing like this right now? It’s hardly been 5 minutes.”

”Maybe 5 minutes is all it takes for someone to realize that they should take what they can.”

”What?” Shou was wholly confused. “Did you sleep enough last night?”

It was Kagetsu’s turn to roll his eyes. “Yes, I did.” He still did not let go of their hands. “Say, Shou, I’ve been aware of something for a while now.”

”What is it? Does it have something to do with the way that I’m being held hostage right now?”

”Yes it does, actually. Shou, I know you…”

”You know me….?”

”I know you have a crush on me.”

…

…

Huh?

He’s taken too long to respond for him to play it off.

”Huh?” Shou said dumbly.

“Aren’t I right?”

”EHHH???”

”You’re being noisy, seriously.”

“What would make you think that?”

”I pay attention to you a lot because I like you too.”

“Isn’t it a bit presumptuous of you to- …What did you say?”

”I said I like you too.”

This could not be happening right now. First he was just going to have a talk with Kagetsu, then Kagetsu starts crying and now he’s confessing to Shou right upfront. What the fuck.

”It’s just… These last few days have made me realize that you’re special to me. I really regretted lashing out like that during the mission because I don’t want to lose you or any of the others.”

Shou and Kagetsu looked each other in the eyes. Shou thought that he found everything he needed to see in those dazzling gems. Bright, clear and determined. That’s what made up a high-quality stone.

”I think that I want you by my side forever.”

Shou was still stunned. He wasn’t put off or negatively affected by Kagetsu’s words. They probably made him the happiest octopus in the world. It’s just that Shou felt like he should tell Kagetsu what he was getting into.

”I-I do like you, Kagetsu. I do. But why do you think that I never told you my feelings?”

Kagetsu let go of Shou’s hand and studied it as he thought.

”Hm… Why? I want to hear it from you myself.”

”People… couples are always touching and kissing and looking at each other in public, but that was never the kind of thing I was interested in.”

”Oh, easy. I don’t really care for that stuff either-“

”That being said, all I’ve ever wanted was for you to be mine. My special person.”

Kagetsu continued to look at Shou’s hand for just one more moment before looking up and smiling.

”You know you sound totally creepy when you say something like that.”

“Really? I thought it would be super romantic.”

They could only stare at each other for another second before they both burst into hearty laughter that stemmed from the gut.

Yeah, Kagetsu Murakumo was special, alright.

Chapter Text

Vanta couldn’t count the amount of times he’s been winded. His first hero conditioning session reduced him to little more than a puddle on the floor. Sparring with trainers often leaves him getting a punch to the gut multiple times. The intensity of missions basically left him out for the count on weekends. But none of these situations could ever amount to the way he felt when Rai Inami looked at him.

To put it simply, Rai stole Vanta’s breath. Every. Single. Time. He was gentle, kind, cheerful and funny. It was like Wilson and Vezalius got merged into one person, then the Frenchness and the friendly teasing got removed. Good riddance (who was he kidding? Vanta loved those parts about them).

Rai was talented as hell. He always knew what was wrong with any piece of machinery that was brought to him, like the time that Kurococo started making weird noises but was up and ready by the next day. Many of the tools that the heroes used were developed by Rai or at least looked at by him at some point.

This was not to mention Rai’s personality by itself. He was like a burning lightbulb that cuts through a dark room. He was thoughtful, optimistic and energetic. The image of his face just gave Vanta a feeling of hopefulness as well as admiration for how determined he was when he had to wrangle dytica together.

And his body? Well, Vanta didn’t want to make it a focal point but he thinks it was a pretty solid fucking factor. When Rai could do his hair nicely because he wasn’t needed on a mission it was always cute and outspoken in a stylish way. When Rai wasn’t wearing his full hero costume small windows of skin on his shoulder were displayed. When he didn’t need to square his shoulders and put on the front of a hero he looked just the right size to fit between Vanta’s arms.

One of the things that put Vanta’s attraction under a spotlight in his mind was that Rai didn’t seem averse to flirting. Whenever Vanta had a small window of opportunity to pine after Rai, he did. Not in a stalking way. More like a “oh I’m in the cafeteria and he’s in the cafeteria.” Kind of way. Vanta was like 10x more likely to crush over someone that was probable to like him back.

Several times, he saw Rai let other heroes act like doting boyfriends, treating him to ice cream or winning some kind of plush toy for him. He was often glued to others’ sides when not on missions and during training, he was able to play the part of a damsel in distress very well.

All of this is to say that Vanta’s attraction was completely reasonable and the prospect of a relationship was plausible. Sometimes he forgot Rai was a hero because of how easily he took Vanta’s breath away. Yet there was one single instance Vanta will never forget where Rai gave it back. Saved his life even.

There was an attack on the city. Hundreds of small octopus like blobs were invading the land. They climbed out of the river which was through the city and went up every surface they could find. If the heroes did not exterminate them the city would be overrun. 

“They need some assistance in the south!” Wilson shouted as he cut an octopus in half with his sword. “A ton of them just came up and they are having trouble keeping up with them all!”

Vanta punched a blob into the ground. “I’m on it!” He cried. Vanta kicked one of the monsters trying to climb his leg and took off running. He took out several more on the way, them bursting into droplets of water whenever he punched or kicked them.

He passed Mana, Rito and Rai as he head down that direction and they seemed to be doing fine. Most of the streets were clear in this area. Among the heroes, Vanta’s eyes found their way to Rai. And somehow, Rai’s had also found his.

They were locked onto each other for a second that felt like a year, then Vanta took his next step that boosted him almost a hundred meters down the road.

He gently bit his tongue. It was not the time to be gawking at his crush.

Many minutes later Vanta was able to see the damage for himself. Ittetsu and Shou were supposed to keep the area under control, but there were so many blobs that Ittetsu couldn’t find anywhere to stand that didn’t have octopus and Shou looked like he was too busy taking a bite out of one.

Vanta slid as he arrived and he mowed a small path through the blobs. A spray of water entered the air.

“Oh~ Vanta, hey~” Ittetsu waved as he landed at his side.

“Hey Ittetsu!” Vanta punched a monster out of the air. “I sea that you have a bit of a BLOB-em (problem) down here!”

“BAHAHA~ Good one Vanta!”

“Thanks.!”

The two of them split up, to cover more area as they cleared. As Vanta worked his way down the street he noticed that the blobs were slowly getting bigger in size. Not that they were getting bigger while he was fighting them but when the small ones got busted only bigger ones filled in their places. Even then the biggest one he had fought so far was just the size of a football.

Then he reached a giant blob. It looked to be about ten times bigger than any previous ones that if it were human shaped instead of blob shaped it could be just about as big as Vanta was.

It turned out that he needed to focus as he fought this one. Any moment that he looked away for just a second was a moment that the blob was lunging towards him. It seems as if the furthest it could jump was ten meters.

Every time he tried to land a hit on it, the monster would slip out of the way in the fraction of a second. Being more speedy and elusive than the other enemies made it harder to beat. Vanta had yet to land a hit.

Subconciously he heard more heroes arriving at the scene. The areas must be mostly clear upriver then.

“Who’s hungry for some fists!?”

“Oho! Hey Rai! Hey Rito! Hey Mana!”

Vanta’s heart stuttered in his chest. Out of habit he had began to turn so he could search for that head of black and green hair and those magenta pink eyes but as he did so the giant blob took the chance to leap at him.

The monster impacted him at his side, affecting his balance. He didn’t realize how close to the edge of the street he was because the next thing he knew was that he was falling into the river.

”Vanta!!!”

Without enough time to take a breath Vanta held onto what ever he had while the water rushed over his head. The blob was wrapping him up in its body, so far covering one arm and half his torso so he couldn’t swim.

‘This is what happens when you can’t stay focused you idiot,’ Vanta thinks to himself.

He needed to take a breath soon but each struggle he made against the force keeping him captive only made him lose precious oxygen. Slowly he was sinking to the bottom of the lake and the surface was only a bright wavy dream above him.

Bubbles escaped from his mouth and his body automatically gasped for air only to breathe in a lungful of water. It hurt. But he needed oxygen. The blob had consumed more of his body now, his entire chest and working towards his legs, so he couldn’t even struggle as he hacked up water and sucked in more.

It hurt so bad, he wanted it to be over. As his eyes closed he saw a darkness in the center of his vision. A shadow that blocked the light of the surface. A hand that reached for him.

xxx

Soon enough he was rising weightlessly. The pressure of the monster slowly spreading around his body was gone. A splash of cool air rolled over his skin and then he felt like he was lying against something solid again. He didn’t open his eyes though. He didn’t have strength even if he wanted to.

He figured he should just rest a bit before continuing what he was doing… what ever that was.

A warm sensation filled his chest but it didn’t last for long. Some sort of song played in his ears. The warmth returned again and this time it expelled the cold. And also what ever he ate earlier in the day.

Suddenly the world turned over and Vanta realied he was on his side coughing up water and puke. Every time he thought he was done his body would seize up and there would be more. But as he did the warmness in his chest spread to the rest of his body. He could move his arms and legs again.

Once Vanta was done vomiting his insides he found himself gasping for air. Breathing normally again. Air, not water. Vanta cracked open an eye and found an angel looking down at him.

”Vanta!” Rai’s voice sounded like it was coming from a dream. “Can you hear me?”

Vanta coughed again. He must be dead for real. All at once Rai’s face became clear and every sound was as loud as hell and behind his crush’s figure Vanta spotted a very loathed familiar figure.

The blob launched into the air. All Vanta could say between his coughs were, “Behind you!”

In the blink of an eye, Rai’s humongous hammer appeared in his hands and the giant blob that was leaping towards him got turned into a shower of riverwater mid air.

“Nice work.” Vanta was barely able to push himself into a sitting position. He looked at the area around them. It seemed like most of the area was clear of the monsters so their work was almost over. Then he looked at the river and it finally struck him. He almost just drowned. Rai saved him. Instead of stealing his breath for once Rai breathed air into his lungs.

”Thanks!”  Rai was on the ground at his side examining him closely. It made Vanta a little bit bashful one he realized their lips probably touched. He felt like his tongue would be tied if he tried to speak but he would rather say something than keep having Rai stare at him silently. “I-Is there something wrong?”

“Ah. It’s nothing,” Rai said looking away quickly. He stood up and offered a hand to Vanta. “You feeling okay enough to walk?”

Vanta may as well be dead. Seriously this guy looked just like an angel. “Y-Yeah… thanks for saving me just now.”

”Aww no worries!” Rai pulled Vanta up with what looked like no effort and winked. “It’s what heros do!”

Aaaaand Vanta was winded again. If he had half a mind he would confess to Rai right now. But it was an inappropriate time. They were defending the city for ASH’s sake! This was a time to look cool, not to drool.

He was broken out of his own mind when Rai laughed at him.

”Hey you’re face is all red! Are you sure you’re alright?”

Vanta cleared his throat and schooled his expression. “Never been better.”

Rai just laughed again and punched him on the arm. “You’re cute when you try to act tough. Come on! Let’s go join the others.”

Vanta nodded and they took off together. By now everyone was starting to gather.

Wait. Did Rai just call him cute?

xxx

After that Vanta made it his #1 mission to confess his feelings. Or something along those lines. Look, he didn’t have it all planned out okay?

Point was that even when he made up his mind things didn’t really go his way.

For the next months when ever Rai would spot Vanta, he smiled and waved. It made Vanta’s breath hitch every single time. It was like Rai knew what he was doing. But Vanta could never get an opportunity with him alone. When the heroes went out to eat there were always at least one or two other people or when Vanta headed down to Rai’s garage he was never there or when Vanta even saw him during missions they’d always get caught up in something else.

“Vanta! Hi!!!” Rai waved at him when he spotted him in the hall before Rai entered Kagetsu’s room.

“Hey! Want to come with us to karaoke?” Rai asked when he spotted him in the cafeteria while he passed by with Zali, Shou and Mana.

“You’re going to the gym?” He said the only time Vanta tried to turn him down, “Don’t overwork yourself now! Wouldn’t want to ruin that good looking body of yours~!”

This was the last straw. Vanta decided he would man up the next time he saw Rai. Which happened to be in a pretty public place. With most of the other heroes.

“Hey!! Happy one year!” 

Everybody was drinking and digging into their food but Vanta was so nervous all he could do was push the food around his plate. Because Rai was sitting just across the table from him.

Despite his reservations he actually managed to have a nice chat for once. They talked about Rai’s projects, Vanta’s games. He was starting to relax but there was still a tingling at his core.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Rai piped up about halfway into the meal. “How come you’re not eating?”

Vanta’s face flushed. All he could think about was the time Rai called him cute. His stomach was getting super twisted up. On second thought he was starting to think he had a stomacheache and not just butterflies.

“A-actually my stomache kinda hurts. I’ll be gone for a bit.” He fled to the bathroom.

You fucking idiot, he thought as he paced around in the cramped space. You were having a nice conversation with him and you just had to ruin it.

Just say you weren’t hungry! Or you ate before this!!! He could still be talking to Rai right now if he didn’t walk away. He also had yet to tell Rai his feelings. Even though he made up his mind that he would.

He must’ve been in there for a while because soon someone came looking for him. The same someone that made him leave in the first place. “Vanta? Are you alright in here?”

Vanta turned around and Rai was right there about halfway through the door.

“Hey is something the matter?”

Just say it, Vanta. “I…”

Make up your mind. “I like…”

Rai’s head tilted like a cute dog. His wonderful eyes were completely focused on him.

“I like one of the heroes,” he said. He was a coward. “Like, I’m in love with them.” Vanta wasn’t lying but he didnt tell the full and honest truth either. When Rai’s gaze dropped, he was quick to break the silence between them. “I-I just got really nervous just now because I decided I was gonna confess tonight. But now I dont know how. Sorry for dragging you into this.”

Like a rubber band Rai’s behavior snapped back to cheerful.

“Hey! It happens to everybody ya know!” He reassured Vanta. Then he began his teasing. “So~~ you like somebody, eh~?”

Vanta awkward laughed.

”Yeah…”

Rai got right up close bouncing up and down on his feet. “Who is it? Who is it?”

”I-I don’t really want to say…”

”So you’re shy huh?” Rai punched Vanta’s arm lightheartedly. “How are you supposed to confess with that attitude?!”

“Um..! It’s just that the person I’m in love with is so outgoing and I’m so awkward. The fuck am I supposed to do?”

”Make up a pick up line or a pun! You’re pretty good at those!”

”Ugh…”

”Come on! I’m sure it’ll be fine. You’re Vantacrow Bringer after all! Vantacrow confession Bringer! Vantacrow love Bringer!”

Finally Vanta started laughing. Giggling even. This guy was hilarious.

”What, finally got your nerves all out?”

Vanta caught his breath and nodded. “I think I’m ready.

”Let’s go rejoin the others then. But you should do it once everyone leaves the restaurant. It would be a little awkward if you did it right now.”

”Nah, I’ll just do it now.”

Vanta grabbed one of Rai’s hands. Rai froze.

”It wouldn’t feel Rai-ght any other way. It’s you that I like, Rai. And it has been for a really long time. You’re so kind and bright that i forget to breathe whenever i see you. I love the way you can talk to anyone so freely, how talented you are and how much you do for everyone. I love… You.”

Rai was still frozen like a lagging video. Then his face suddenly grew bright red.

”Eh? Me?”

”Yeah.”

”Eh? Ah… Hah?!”

”ME???”

Then Rai shook his head vigorously and leaned in towards Vanta. “Can I tell you a secret?”

Vanta’s heart was beating loudly in his chest. Like always he felt like he could hardly breathe but he still nodded and leaned in.

Rai’s words were just a soft whisper in his ear. “I like you too. I’ve liked you for a while now.”

Then Rai kissed him. It was just about everything Vanta expected. His lips were soft and with Rai so close Vanta thought he smelled something sweet.

They broke apart for just a second. Vanta was about to dive back in but Rai stopped him with a finger against his lips.

”Shouldn’t you buy me a treat or two first~?” Rai winked playfully.

Vanta pouted.

”We’ve both been waiting for something like this for like, months, Rai.”

”You’re right,” Rai leaned in and whispered on Vanta’s lips. “But I still like to have my fun.”

Their lips met again and Vanta realized that there were arms around his neck and that they were pulling him closer and closer. Rai’s sweetness made him feel weak but at the same time he couldn’t help but find himself wanting more.

It was then that Vanta realized that Rai had not only stolen his breath, but his heart as well.

xxxtra:

When they next parted for air, Rai took a step back to stop them from going any further. “The others must be wondering where we are,” he said. “We should seriously go back before they walk in on us like this.”

Embarrassed Vanta scratched the back of his neck. “You’re right. I guess that-“

Vanta took a step towards the door but froze in his tracks when he saw that it was already opened up by a margin. With Wilson about halfway through. He had the blankest look on his face.

”Ah- it’s too late,” Rai muttered behind him.

”Wilson-“

The blond snapped to life, pulling the door closed with a slam.

”I saw nothing!!!”

Chapter Text

Ittetsu and Rou kissed. Ittetsu and Rou liked to kiss. Ittetsu and Rou liked to kiss a lot.

There wasn’t much to it. Whenever one of them felt too alone or too unseen or they just needed an outlet of some sort, the other person was there.

Well that’s what it was at first. Now they just like to kiss whenever.

”Ittetsu, I need to have a word with you.”

Rou and a couple of other heroes had just gotten back from a mission and immediately Ittetsu had already been singled out.

”Ah! Huh?!” Ittetsu would have fought back against Rou’s hold but he had a firm grip on Ittetsu’s sleeve and they were already half way to another room.

Rou shoved Ittetsu further into the room then closed the door and locked it.

”I-isn’t it too early for this?” Ittetsu asked. He was entirely unready mentally plus he had just smoked so his breath was probably super bad.

”What. Are you going to tell me no?”

Ittetsu started waving his hands around.

”No! Not at all! It’s just- won’t the others hear?”

Rou walked towards him until Ittetsu’s back was pressed against the wall.

”No, they’ll probably head straight to sleep. And they won’t hear us anyways if we’re quiet.” Rou rested his forearm just above Ittetsu’s head and got so close their lips almost touched. “Are you still sure you’re okay with this?”

”If you think it’s fine, then…”

Ittetsu was the first to move, t capture Rou’s lips with his own. They were firm and tasted like salt. It wasn’t long before Rou started pushing for more. His tongue slipped into Ittetsu’s mouth, hungry and intent on taking anything Ittetsu offered.

They broke away to breathe for just a second.

”Were you smoking earlier?” Rou asked softly. The way his eyes were trained on Ittetsu’s lips made him want to dive back in.

”Yeah,” Ittetsu breathed back. He was somewhat self-conscious about his breath when it came to Rou but if he didn’t mind that all was well.

”I can tell.”

Rou grabbed the collar of Ittetsu’s shirt and pulled him in for a second round, this one more insistent than the last. Ittetsu hardly had a second before Rou was exploring every corner of his mouth, sucking him dry of the bitter taste of ash on his tongue.

They parted to gasp for air only to melt back into each other in a mess of tongues and lips. Ittetsu felt like Rou’s passion was taking everything he had. But it was okay. Ittetsu didn’t mind.

Ittetsu grabbed Rou’s back to bring him closer. The distinct taste of salt was starting to disappear as while they continued. Ittetsu wanted more, he wanted everything, he wanted whatever Rou was willing to give. But he couldn’t make it known with his voice. They were trying to be quiet after all and Rou was the one who didn’t want the other heroes to know.

However much Rou pushed, Ittetsu pushed back an equal amount. They were perfect like this, interlocked with each other. This was who they were. Savory and bitter mixing.

Ittetsu was starting to run out of breath so he patted Rou’s shoulder to let him know. They broke apart, gasping for air as quietly as they could. Their holds loosened.

”Are you okay?” Rou asked when he caught his breath. He wiped his lips. “I was a little bit rough this time.”

”I’m good. What about you? Did something happen on the mission?”

”No.” Rou came up close again and looked at Ittetsu with half-lidded eyes. “I… just missed you.”

Ittetsu’s jaw dropped.

”Oi, you can’t just say something like that out of nowhere!” He wrapped his arms around Rou’s waist to show that he was ready to go again.

”Yes, I can-“

Their lips were about to touch when a sound rang out throughout the room. They quickly jumped apart in shock, looking for the cause of the sound. Finally, Ittetsu’s eyes landed on the drying machine pushed up against another wall.

”Tch.” Rou clicked his tongue and stomped towards the door and unlocked it. He stepped out and almost yelled, “Someone’s laundry is done.”

Ittetsu stepped out as well, only slightly disappointed that it was over. But what could he do? There was always a next time.

”That’s mine,” Shou approached. He had a blank look on his face as usual. “Did you guys have a good talk? I was afraid that I would have to wait another year to retrieve my clothes. Seriously, what do you two even have to talk about for 10 minutes for??”

”Rou just had to confess,” Ittetsu claimed with a shake of his head. Rou’s head turned around and he shot him a dangerous look. “That he was actually the one who stole my snacks but he didn’t want to admit it in front of everybody.”

“So he confessed for 10 minutes behind closed doors?” Rito asked from another room.

”No, I made sure he paid dearly for it.” Ittetsu lifted a clenched fist and nodded. “Oriens style.”

Shou came back from picking up his laundry. He looked between Ittetsu and Rou then walked past.

”I’m sure he did,” he said.

“Yeah I think I’m going to have to sit out of missions for a while,” Rou collapsed onto the lounge couch beside Rai, who was listening. “I think I broke some bones paying for those snacks.”

”Like hell that’s happening!” Said Rai.

Before Ittetsu walked away too, he caught Rou staring at him with a look that he could only read as, “stupid.”

xxx

Ittetsu had to admit that sometimes they had good timing and ended up making out in the most scenic places ever. Anything was better than the goddamn heroes laundry room.

Ittetsu had Rou backed up against a huge tree, a hand pinned over his head and the other holding his neck. The sensation of fingers pressing against his nape created electrifying shocks that danced along his back. The only thing keeping him grounded was the grip he had on Rou’s hip.

”Isn’t this a little too out in the open?” Rou asked, head tilted back against the bark. The way his face was completely flushed and his hair was all over the place drove Ittetsu crazy. He couldn’t help but glance at Rou’s swollen lips as he spoke.

”Oh don’t worry,” Ittetsu reassured as he tucked Rou’s hair behind his ear. “I already made sure that no one’s around.”

Damn, maybe they were slowly becoming more than friends that kissed. Ittetsu thought Rou looked so beautiful right now.

”…” Rou looked past Ittetsu for a second, taking in the scenery.

All around them all kinds of plants were in full bloom. Even the tree they were under waved its pretty flowers over their heads. A warm wind weaved its way through the underbrush and rushed past them in a delight of fragrance. The grass was not too tall nor too short. The skies were just another canvas of blue skin and white clouds.

Ittetsu shivered involuntary when Rou looked back at him. His fingers were lightly teasing the hairs on the back of his neck. If the feeling didn’t awaken some sort of beast inside of him, he would have tossed Rou down the hill right then and there.

Rou smirked. “You’re so easy.”

The smug look quickly disappeared when Ittetsu’s hand found a gap in Rou’s clothes and he took the opportunity to lightly tease him back. Rou let out a small gasp that only fueled Ittetsu on.

”You should stop if you know what’s good for you.” Ittetsu slowly closed the gap between their faces. Rou reciprocated. Their lips met and they continued the usual game of push and pull. Of give and take.

Out here they could make as much sound as they liked. The sound of Rou sucking on his lips made his heart race and the soft moans he gave were music to his ears.

Ittetsu cracked open his eyes for just a small moment to glance at Rou’s face from up close.

Yeah he looked beautiful.

xxx

Probably the worst time they’ve ever kissed each other was at a sleepover. With all of the other heroes. Including the cooler ones like Vezalius and Vanta. It was on Ittetsu this time though.

Rou just caught Ittetsu off guard for a second and that second was enough to light the fire. Seriously, Rou grabbing his chin to wipe something off of his face was a lot… hotter… than he expected…

”Is now a good time?” Ittetsu whispered to Rou as everyone was brushing their teeth and setting up a ton of blankets and pillows.

Rou just give him a look that said seriously dude?

”Just wait until they’re all asleep,” is what came out of that pretty mouth.

”That’s going to take forever!” Ittetsu whined.

”Well what do you want to do about it? Make out in a closet and say we got stuck together?”

”…”

”Hell no, Ittetsu.”

A couple of doors down the hallway from the living room, there was a closet that was just big enough to fit the two of them. There wasn’t a light and they were pressed flush against each other but Ittetsu didn’t mind. In fact, he prefered this proximity.

Before he could get a taste of Rou’s lips, his partner stopped him with a finger.

“Just a minute or two. Okay?”

”Yeah, yeah.” Impatient, Ittetsu leaned forwards in the darkness and shut Rou up. He tasted like mint and toothpaste this time but the way his lips felt against Ittetsu’s was still the same.

Rou’s hand found Ittetsu’s neck again. Ever since the moment under the tree Rou had alwas without fail made the hair on Ittetsu’s neck stand on end. It didn’t have to be a bad thing because now Ittetsu was always reaching under Rou’s shirt as well.

It was electrifying. It was good. It made them want more. Rou pushed Ittetsu away by the shoulders after a while. His pants for air were a delight to Ittetsu’s ears.

”Let’s stop. We should get back before they get suspicious.” Even without being able to see Rou’s face Ittetsu could imagine the look of a shy Rou Koyanagi trying to see if other people had seen them kiss.

”Fine, fine. I’ve had enough to last the night anyways.” Ittetsu reached for the closet door only to find that there was no knob on the inside.

”You’re shitting me…”

”What?”

”I can’t open the door.”

”What? A shuffling sound told Ittetsu that Rou also reached for the door. “We’re really stuck in here?

”We’re really stuck in here.”

Rou sighed in defeat and plopped his head on Ittetsu’s shoulder.

”Damn.”

”Rou? Ittetsu?” Someone was looking for them on the outside. “Where did you guys go?”

A hand firmly gripped Ittetsu’s arm as if to stop him but he reassured Rou that he had an idea with a couple of pats back.

Just as the person outside passed the closet door Ittetsu punched it and shouted.

”BOO!” 

“AHHHH!!!!!!”

A thump sounded outside. The closet door remained closed.

”EH?” Ittetsu faked being shocked. “It won’t open!”

“Are you two in here?” The entrance opened to reveal Rito. “What are you two doing in here!”

“It was his idea.” Rou who was eager to leave the situation as quickly as possible stepped past Rito to point at Ittetsu.

“I got you~~” Ittetsu stuck out his tongue and wiggled his fingers at Rito. “You totally screamed like a girl~”

Rito rolled his eyes and punched Ittetsu’s shoulder lightly.

”Whatever man. Let’s just go to sleep already. Everyone’s tired.”

Rito led Ittetsu and Rou back to the sleeping space where everyone was nearly all settled down.

”Woah! There they are!” Vanta was shocked to see all three of them walk in. “Where did you guys go?”

”I found them,” Rito announced as he crawled under the covers, “They were just being stupid and hiding into a closet to scare me.”

A round of giggles went around the room but soon everyone was all tucked in.

Before the lights wer turned off, Ittetsu shot Rou a quick glance.

Safe.

xxx

Honestly if you asked ittetsu he would say that their relationship only got more degenerate from there. He felt a little guilty about it to be honest.

”Aren’t there more important things we should be doing right now?”

”Nah.”

The two of them were hiding out behind a dumpster while the rest of the heroes were busy tracking something down.

Rou was really going at it biting his ears, his lips and his neck and marking him all over. All Ittetsu could do was get some air in his lungs and try really hard to not let his knees buckle. His face was really hot.

”mm…” Rou was looking pretty satisfied with his work. It was really embarassing for Ittetsu to just stand there while Rou was looking at him like that so he asked, “what? Done yet?”

”Not yet.” Rou leaned in real close. His hot breath tickled Ittetsu’s ear. “You don’t mind if i get a little rougher right?”

Ittetsu had to shut his eyes and pretend like having Rou this close didnt phase him at all. 

“O-of cource not! If that’s what you want!” He barely coughed out.

”Good.” Ittetsu felt fingers trace his collarbone and he couldn’t stop the shiver from running through his body. “Just tell me if it’s too much.”

Suddenly the fingers wrapped around his throat and pushed firmly. Just enough that breathing was a little harder than normal but not enough that he couldn’t. A warm presence joined with his lips and Rou wasn’t any degree shy in pushing his way into Ittetsu’s mouth. It was intense.

Ittetsu held onto Rou just as a measure so he wouldn’t fall over. The pressure on his neck was starting to make him feel a little dizzy not to mention the insistance with with Rou treated him with. As they kissed Rou just kept pushing and pushing. He claimed everything that might have once been Ittetsu’s. Even when there was spit dribbling down his chin Rou would pause to lick it right off his face and then continue their intimate embrace.

Were they still perfect together? This felt like such a far cry from when they started. From when they held each other because no one else would. When they were savory and bitter rather than hunger and guilt. What happened to them?

Ittetsu only pushd Rou away when he felt like he was about to pass out. Whether from lack of air or because of his racing heart he would never know. He just felt lightheaded. Is this what he really wanted between the two of them?

Rou understood immediately and his hands went to support Ittetsu’s weight. “I think that’s enough for today. Are you feeling okay?”

”Other than feeling like I just ran a marathon, I’m fine.” Ittetsu let himself lean on Rou to catch his breath. There was a rotten taste on his tongue.

They just stayed like that for a minute or so before Ittetsu spoke up again. “We should proabaly go back out and help the others.”

”Yeah.” Rou agreed. He held Ittetsu and arm’s length away and looked him up and down making sure he was fine to go. “Are you still sure you’re okay? We can just wait for another minute or so.”

”Nah. I feel bad for skipping out of the mission. We should just go.” His legs might still feel a little week but that should just go away with time.

Rou looked at him for a nother second before quickly placing a peck on the corner of Ittetsu’s mouth and letting go of him. “Alright. Let’s head out then.”

”Oi, didn’t get enough of me?” Ittetsu laughed as they leaped out of the alleyway.

Rou didn’t spare him a glance back. “Never.”

xxx

One day Ittetsu decided to change it up a little. Honestly it scared him the people they became. Not even friends anymore. Just people who were using each other. So he wanted to try something new!

In all functionality Ittetsu was taking Rou out on a date. But Rou didn’t know that yet.

”Why did you want me to come out here to see you?” Rou asked when he arrived. “Usually the arrangement is just whenever we see each other next. Did something change?”

Ittetsu put his phone in his pocket and got off of the wall he was leaning against. “I just wanted to do something different today.”

”And that is?”

Ittetsu threw his hand out to present the place they met in front of: the local carnival.

“TA DA!!!! WE’RE GONNA GO ON A FUN DATE!”

”Why?”

”BECAUSE I SAID SO!!!” Ittetsu grabbed Rou’s hand and dragged him in before he had the chance to run.

Within the gates there were seemingly hundreds of attractions in any direction they looked. Rou didn’t look particularly inclined to participate in anything, so Ittetsu forced him over to a target shooting game.

”Rou Koyanagi!” Ittetsu handed him one of the guns from the stall. “Let’s play this one!”

Rou just looked away like he didn’t personally know Ittetsu.

”Are you scared that I’m better?” Ittetsu provoked.

At that thought Rou turned back with a fire in his eyes. “Better?”

“Yeah that i’m better than you at shooting!”

Rou immediately snatched the gun from Ittetsu’s hands and demanded that the targets be put up. As soon as the targets started appearing and the music started playing, Rou shot each target perfectly as soon as they came up. Once the game was over, Rou’s efforts were rewarded with a cute stuffed teddy bear.

”It looks just like you!” Ittetsu pointed out. “Your frowns are the same.”

Rou wasn’t listening. “What’s next?” He demanded. “I’m going to show you that I’m better than you at all of these games. If it’s the last thing I do.”

”Next!” Ittetsu smiled, his plan was working, “Is the bumper cars!”

So they went on like that enjoying all of the games and rides and whatever else carnivals have. Ittetsu let Rou beat him at every single one if only to get him to keep playing. (the word ‘let’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting.) The only place that Rou refused to go into was the scare house.

”Why not?”

”I bet it’s not even scary at all.” Rou absolutely absolutely absolutely refused to look in the same direction of the scare house. He was even shaking. In anger probably because of the scare actors’ mediocre skills?

“We won’t know until we try it! Let’s go!” Ittetsu grabbed Rou’s hand again and dragged him into the place before Rou could resist.

Inside of the scare house Rou attached himself to Ittetsu’s side and didn’t move away for a second. “You need someone to protect you.” Is the excuse that he made. But Ittetsu knew Rou better than that.

“Look. There’s a clown.”

”Where? Where? Where?” 

Rou was looking around frantically.

Ittetsu swooped in and quickly pecked the corner of Rou’s mouth.

”Right here~~~” He teased.

Even though it was dark Ittetsu saw Rou rolling his eyes. But it made him more relaxed despite their environment.

”You fucking idiot…” Rou grabbed Ittetsu’s hand and proceeded deeper into the scare house.

xxx

After they made it out in one piece (Rou threatened to rip Ittetsu in 2 many times) Ittetsu took Rou to the ice cream stall as the very last thing planned. They sat down at a bench together once they had their ice creams.

”What flavor did you get?” Rou asked leaning over to have a look.

Ittetsu had a cone of cotton candy ice cream while Rou just had some fruit-flavored one. Classic.

“Cotton candy.” Ittetsu replied but he pulled his cone away from Rou’s reach. “I’m not sharing tho.”

”Ah. Why not?” A mischevious smile spawned on Rou’s face. It was one that appeared in the face of a challenge.

”Do~n’t wanna.” Ittetsu stuck his tongue out.

“Even if I…”

Rou trailed off as he slid right up to Ittetsu’s side on the bench. Suddenly they were really close and their lips were just inches from each other. As usual. 

With the way Rou was looking at him Ittetsu totally thought they were gonna do what they always did. But at the last moment Rou seemed to change his mind. He leaned past Ittetsu and took a bite of his ice cream instead.

”See? Not that big of a deal.” Rou wiped his lips off before returning to his own ice cream.

In retaliation, Ittetsu grabbed Rou’s wrist and took a bite of Rou’s ice cream himself. A “bite” was an understatement in this case. He probably took out just about half of it.

”Now we’re even,” he said through the ice cream but he didn’t know if Rou actually heard him or not. Rou scoffed so Ittetsu assumed he did.

They just sat side by side and finished their own ice creams after that. Many more minutes passed by before either spoke up again. The sun was starting to go down.

“Hey Ittetsu.”

”Hah?”

”Thanks for taking me on a date.” Rou looked soft in the light of the sunset. His hair and his eyes were lit up all sorts of wonderful colors. There was a curve in his lips that was almost a smile.

”It’s no problem.” Ittetsu grinned and leaned closer invitingly. Just enough that Rou could also lean in if he wanted to but not uncomfortably close that he had to.

As always Rou chose to close the gap. They kissed again. And this time it was sweet.

Chapter Text

Unaccaptable. Some behaviors Vezalius will tolerate but there are others that he can’t. As the sole healer of the heroes Vezalius was responsible for keeping the rest of them in good condition, to continue fighting.

But sometimes the actions villains take against heroes, are absolutely unacceptable. Especially since the heroes are Vezalius’ friends too.

Vezalius had just finished ripping a villain apart. When he says ripping them apart he meant ripping them apart . Who knew that bandages could be so powerful as an offensive weapon? Wrap it around an arm several times and that limb was as good as gone. Wrap it around someone’s chest and that body was as good as his.

Vezalius made sure to get rid of all of the bloody bandages. They, as heroes, had seen plenty of gore-type things. They’ve all encountered bloodstains and missing fingers. But that didn’t mean, Vezalius had to bring those images back to them.

Rito had stayed right where Vezalius left him. He was still alive and still right where Vezalius left him. Half of his shirt was torn off revealing a muscular side and some bandages he used earlier which were not bled through yet.

”Rito. I’m done.” Vezalius said sweetly. “We don’t have to worry about those villains anymore.”

”Ah, Zali,” Rito opened his tired eyes. “Did the police come to take them?”

”Of course,” vezalius lied kneeling beside the injured hero. “They’re in good hands now.” The only good hands those villains deserved, were the hands of death. “How are you feeling?”

Rito winced. The arm wrapped around his body tightened somewhat but not much.

”Better than before…” 

“That’s good.” Vezalius brushed Rito’s hair away along with sweat and blood from his face. “Are you alright enough to go back? I can help you walk if you need.”

”If you could help me…”

If Rito was asking for help that meant he didn’t feel too good. Vezalius went to his side and wrapped an arm around Rito. and helped him to his feet.

No matter what Vezalius will always make sure that the others were looked after and taken care of. Even if it meant sacrificing something else as a hero.

Chapter Text

Everyone called Wilson a boykisser. And when he says everyone, he means everyone. Not that they were wrong. Maybe he played into the joke too much because now he was actually kissing a boy. And he liked it. It all started when he sent a silly little message into the group chat late at night.

”Who isn’t sleeping? I’ll sleep with you” he typed out. It was 4am in the morning when he sent it and he was completely unexpecting of a response. But he got one anyways when his phone chimed nearly a minute later. Wilson was surprised to see the notification. It said to be from Mana and the response was “Oh…❤️”

Wilson sat up from his bed with a jolt. His blanket gathered in a pile on his lap. Quickly, he opened up his private messages with Mana and shot him another text.

”What are you still doing awake?!” >

< “What are you doing threatening to sleep with people? Lol 😂”

“I was making a joke! For fun!!” >

< “Oh. Well that’s disappointing.”

< “I wouldn’t have complained if you were serious.”

Wilson nearly dropped his phone. But it would hurt if he did, so he didnt.

”?! 0///0 hazushakiii Mana-san” >

< “Are you going back on your word?”

< “I’m telling Vanta btw…”

< “unless…”

”WAIT!!!” >

”Don’t tell Vanta.” >

”I’ll be there in 10 minutes” >

Wilson turned his screen off and nearly threw his phone at the wall. There’s no way he was about to go to Mana’s house. But his pride was on the line. So was his reputation. And he could save it all just by popping into Mana’s house just 5 minutes away. Or by maybe sleeping with him. What the fuck did he just get himself into? But whatever Wilson did, he did seriously. He got himself dressed in decent clothes (reminder that it’s still 4am) before heading out the door. Just a short walk later showed him in front of Mana’s door, his hand poised to knock.

That damn block of wood cracked open before he so much as touched it. ”Wilson~~~” Mana was smiling slyly leaning against the doorway. ”What brings you to my house tonight?”

Wilson opened his mouth to speak, but then remembered the string of texts and closed it with a blush. There was no way he was about to say this. Mana was still waiting so he just bit the bullet and said it. “I-I’m here to sleep with you.” Mana burst into laughter. Wilsons’ blush deepened.

”You said it! I honestly didn’t think you would. Anyways, come in and make yourself at home.” Wilson entered the doorway awkwardly because he wasn’t expecting to make it this far to be honest. He slipped his shoes off at the doorway and walked through Mana’s kitchen. ”Are you hungry? Theres’ some snacks that you could have or I can make tea.” Mana’s fridge was open and he was standing in front of it decidingly.

Wilson leaned against the nearest counter and shook his head. “Nah I’m good.” He really just came here to prove a point that he wasnt sure he could fallow through on. Mana’s fridge closed and the comedian stood looking at Wilson with interest. “Then will you follow through on what you said? Like I said I’m not complaining either way.”

”Puh. I’m not a coward.” He could at least make some sort of effort to play along with Mana. After his declaration Wilson marched right up to mana and put a quick kiss on his lips. Just a small one. It was probably not even considered a kiss. Mana’s eyes widened in surprise and a light pink colored his cheeks. He took a couple of steps back and covered his face with his hands. “Ah…!~ You actually went and did it!”

Wilson was also surprised. He had never seen an embarrassed side of Mana before. And it. Was. Cute. Realizing he had the upper hand, Wilson smirked. ”Of roucse I did it. I said so didn’t I?” Wilson approached Mana again and pulled his hands away from his face. “Come on, don’t get shy now.”

Mana backed away in embarrassment while his face got redder. “Wait wait wait! I’m not ready for another one just yet!!!” He covered his face again and waved Wilson away with the other.

Wilson crossed his arms because he knew what he was gonna say next. “Well let me knew when you are, pretty boy. ”

Mana peeked at Wilson through his fingers. Holy shit he was adorable. “Is that how we’re playing now?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mana’s throat cleared and he finally faced Wilson fully. He had a determined look in his eyes even though his face was still red as a tomato. “Two can play at this game, Yu.”

“Are you sure? I’m starting to see why you want to be a comedian. Youre jokes are too good!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“How about this one?” Mana reached over and turned WIlson’s head to the side before kissing him on the far side of his cheek, right next to his ear.

“H-Hey!” Wilson jumped in surprise and quickly clapped a hand over his ear. “W-What the hell was that for!” His face started to heat up like a kitchen oven.

“What? I was just telling you my funniest joke.” It was mana’s turn to be smug.

“Your funniest joke?” wilson swallowed. “You need to try harder if you think you can make me laugh. My turn.”

Wilson took Mana’s face and kissed both of Mana’s eyes; which he flinched, kissed right next to his nose and finally put a longer but still soft his on his lips. Mana’s beautiful face just looked confused when Wilson was done. He wanted to kiss his pout too. “That’s unfair. Why did you kiss my eyes? I’m trying to look at you right now. In fact, why did you kiss all of those places?”

Wilson smiled. This was sure to get him once and for all.

“You see. I kissed your eyes because I think they’re your best features. Blue and yellow are my favorite colors if you didnt know. I also kissed you on a random spot on your face because it would take to long to kiss all of it, and lastly I kissed your lips again to show that their all mine.” To prove his point, Wilson closed his eyes and kissed Mana on the lips again. He didnt want to push his feelings too far so Wilson let go after something like 3 seconds.

As Wilson looked at Mana again, the other was stood still in shock or something. The hitman took a step back. Maybe he took it too far after all. “Sorry, Mana-”

Before he could react or do anything else, Mana jumped forward and wrapped his arms around Wilson. He hugged him closely and tightly together their bodies and Mana’s head fell to rest on WIlson’s shoulder like a bird descending to roost. He did not know what to do at first but ultimately ended up raising his hands and holding Mana back. He wasn’t too surprised to find out that it felt like Mana fit between his arms perfectly.

“Let’s go to sleep.” Mana said after a while. It was a long while. Standing in the kitchen and holding each other standing up. Wilson nodded but he didn’t let go. Eventually Mana loosened his arms first and he turned and grabbed Wilson’s hand and walked him to his room without looking at Wilson first. “I have some pajamas so you don’t have to sleep in those clothes.”

Wilson looked down at his jeans. He would have insisted that it was fine, but yeah it was beginning to be 5am and he would not appreciate it tomorrow. “Thanks.”

10 more minutes passed before they were finally all settled in Mana’s bed, which was just big enough to fit the both of them comfortably. All sense of distance was thrown out the window because now they were so tired. Mana had his face buried in Wilson’s neck and even though he might have been a bit disappointed he couldn’t see his face, he had his arms wrapped around Mana and their legs were intertwined.

Wilson was almost sure that Mana was asleep, but he was proving wrong when mana asked him: “were you telling the truth earlier or were you telling another joke? When you said blue and yellow are your favorite.”

“Just that part?” Wilson asked back. There was a lot more he said that he didn’t lie about. Like Mana’s eyes or the fact that it would definitely take too long if he kissed mana’s entire face. Or the kiss on the lips. None of it was a lie. But mana asked about the colors. His hero costume was full of blues and yellows for a reason. 

“Uh huh.”

“Between the two of us, I think that you’re the better comedian. My jokes arent all that good.”

Wilson felt the vibration of Mana holding in a laugh. He started laughing too. God he was so tired. 5am. He never went to sleep at 5am before. It was always before 1am or he would just stay up the entire night. But now here he was, going to sleep at 5am and sleeping with another person meanwhile.

Finally they stopped laughing and it was quiet again. It was so peaceful. Wilson’s eyelids began to close. He was just so warm and comfortable…

“Wilson.” He couldn’t tell if he was still awake or if he was beginning to dream. “Thanks for coming over.”

Chapter Text

Kagetsu was a hunter. And when he chased, he caught. Whether it be target, criminal or just plain prey. None of them ever escaped his watch. Especially not any lame neko trying to hide in a crowd. No matter how many people there were or how fast he turned Kagetsu would find what he’s looking for. The spotted fur and the pointy ears were dead giveaways.

Kagetsu easily followed closely behind. Just when the target thought they were free Kagetsu swooped in and grabbed the back of their collar.

”Tag! Your it!”

”DAWW!!! Not fair!!!”

Ittetsu pushed Kagetsu’s hand off of his coat and looked at him with a tough glare.

”It doesnt count if we’re on hero duty!”

Kagetsu put his hands on his hips and turned his chin up at ittetsu. 

“Does too.”

”No! We never discussed it!!! It doesn’t count!!!!”

”Whatever. I still caught you! Bleh~!”

Kagetsu quickly left the scene before Ittetsu could think to catch up. They had a silly little game going on. A little game of tag. It started when everyone was out at an amusement park once and it has never stopped since.

”Kagetsu! You bastard! I’ll definitely catch you!!!”

The ninja was already long gone. There was a good distance between him and Ittetsu when a voice cried out for him.

“A-A hero!! Help!”

what convinient timing. Time for work. Kagetsu followed the sound of the voice and found a child crying at the side of a building. Fat wet tears were flowing down their face.

”Oi oi oi, what’s wrong?”

Kagetsu dropped to the sidewalk beside the kid. He was surprised they even had the wits to call for a hero that was just passing by.

”W-wah….. I d-don’t know where my mommy and daddy went…”

”Ah. Well, let’s go look for them, shall we?”

”Un…”

Kagetsu stood up and was about to grab the child’s hand when a force slammed into his back.

”Tag! I got you this time!!”

”Oi, don’t you see that’ i’m busy right now?”

”I thought you said this counts!!”

”Not anymore.”

A smalll hand tugged on Kagetsu’s sleeve. He looked down to see the child had stopped crying but still looked distraught in their eyes. “Big brother hero… Who is this villain?”

Kagetsu had to stop himself from busting out laughing. He took the small child’s hand in his and held it firmly to give reassurance. “Don’t worry about this villain. Big brother hero has got it all under control.”

He looked at Ittetsu. “Were you listening villain? You are causing civil disruption right now. I need you to go away so i can help this kid find their parents. So scram.”

Ittetsu gave Kagetsu the stinkiest look ever. “AHHH?! I’M THE VILLAIN HERE?!”

Kagetsu looked at the kid for confirmation. The child lookeda t him back and nodded.

”See? The kid says so. So you’re mr. Villain now. Hey, he won’t bother us anymore so let’s go find your parents ok?”

”Don’t brush me off like that! I’m a hero too!”

”Oh… You’re a hero?”

”Yes! Yes! Tell them, Kagetsu!!”

”Big brother hero?”

“Yep… I was playing around. He’s a hero too.” Kagetsu sighed and nodded his head at the child looking at him with wondering eyes. The child slowly nodded and reached out for Ittetsu’s hand too. Ittetsu was more than happy to accept. “Yatta~! Where did you see them last? You parents”

Kagetsu and Ittetsu walked together, holding on to the child’s hands between them as well. The kid had completely stopped crying by now. They skipped happily over the cracks in the sidewalk. “I… was at the park with mom and dad!”

”How long ago was this?”

”Um… I don’t know.”

”Ah.. Well lets go look at the park anyway.”

The park was only five minutes away and the nice weather made it a good day for kids to play on the playground. They took the kid over to potentially find their parents. Even though there were so many kids already and the child’s parents were nowhere to be found, the heroes took the extra time to play and mess around.

”Big brother villain! Can we go down the slide! Just once? Please~” Ittetsu was more than happy to comply. ”Yeah! Let’s go!!!”

Kagetsu was more than happy to let the two run off on their own towards the playground. In the meantime, he would investigate the area for any clues.

”Ka-ge-tsu~kun! Doooo youuu want a turn on the slide?” Ittetsu appeared just a second later.

”Ah..? You two already went down the slide?”

”Yeah! Do you want a go?”

”That fast?”

”Yeah! Do you want to go or not?”

Kagetsu gave Ittetsu a look as the child followed closely behind.

”I take that as a no.”

The kid got between them and pointed at the merry-go-round instead. “How about that! If you spin it around and around you can try and see if you can stay on! Try it!”

”Yeah, Kagetsu! Try it!!”

”Are you an idiot? I’m trying to do my job here.”

”I’m sure it’s because you know you cant do it~~”

”You’ can’t do it~~” The kid echoed.

”Haa? Is this a challenge?”

”No… I’m just saying,” Ittetsu shot back.

”You’re not going to do it? Big brother hero?” The kid said with shining eyes. At this point Kagetsu couldn’t tell which was the hero and which was the child.

“What are you talking about?! I’ll do it. I’ll show you I can do it! Where is this merry-go-round?”

The child grabbed both of the heroes hands and led them to the plaything of interest. There were several kids spinning around already.

”A-a hero!” A couple of them screamed. “There’s a real hero!”

”A hero is here!!” Ittetsu shouted and saluted in his usual way. The children shrieked in delight.

”Oi! Let’s get this over with!” Kagetsu prodded. He joined them on the merry-go-round and looked at Ittetsu to start the challenge. “You kids ready for this?!”

The several of them played on the merry-go-round for a while. Playing with the speed and direction had the children entertained and the parents looking seemed to be satisfied with them playing with a … positive influence.

Kagetsu didn’t know how long had passed or how many times they spun around before he remembered they had work to do. “hold on… What time is it?’’

”Hah? It’s only- wait- oh shi-“

”Watch yourself,” Kagetsu punched Ittetsu in the arm before he could say something he’d regret. “Where’s the kid at? You. We need to look for your parents still.”

”Um…” The kid had the galll to look shameful for distracting them for so long. “I rmeembered where my parents are.”

”Well, we’ve played for long enough here.” Kagetsu put his hands on his hips.

”Even big bro villain thinks so??” The child looked at Ittetsu for guidance.

Sadly Ittetsu nodded his head seriously. “We’ve had our fun. So let’s look for your parents now.”

The kid looked sad but started walking nonetheless. Kagetsu and Ittetsu followed closely behind. “Um… Willl you come play with us next time?” The child asked.

”Sure.”

”You can count on us!!!”

Soon, the three of them arrived at a store just a block away. The parents were looking around frantically after realizing they lost their kid. Turns out that he thought they see the parents leave and tried to follow, only to get lost on the streets.

”Thanks, hero!!” The family waved as the two made their way out.

”See you next time, kid!! Don’t get lost again!!!” Ittetsu waved back enthusiastically. “Are you really going to play with those kids again?”

”Hell no.” Kagetsu began, but he changed it to a soft “we’ll see…” right afterwards. “On another note… tag!” Kagetsu shoved Ittetsu just enough to knock him off of his balance and gave himself time to run away.

”H-Hey!!! Kagetsu, you bastard!!!”

Chapter Text

”It hurts, Vezalius.”

”I know, just hold still, Rou. I’m being as gentle as I can.”

Rou bit his lip and tried not to gasp or flinch. It was hard when his shirt was lifted halfway up his body and Vezalius was pulling a goddamn bullet out of his side. It hurt like hell but Rou was so used to toughing out injuries that this open wound being poked at was practicly nothing.

What was causing him to wince and lean away was Vezalius Bandage. Rou joked about them being married just a couple of months ago out of good fun and he’s heard the other members of krisis gushing about him all of the time, but it didn’t strike him until now how unbelievably pretty Vezalius was.

Having a man that was both beautiful and handsome look at Rou so closely had him quite embarassed. He tried to keep his eyes elsewhere, on the ground, on the walls, or on the roof of the shelter they were staying in… but he knew his face was so bright red, Shou would think he was a tomato and toss him into space.

”Ah! Shit!” Rou gasped when a sharp pain struck his side. His hand flew to grab the wound and he curled in on himself.

”That was it. The hard part is done,” Vezalius said matter of factly. He tossed the bullet into the trash. “I just need to bandage it up now and ensure you make a full recovery before you head back.”

”Full recovery?” Rou asked, grimacing. “It’s fine. I heal really fast, so I’ll be back to normal in just a day or two, no need to wait. We should just go back first.”

Vezalius chuckled, the enchanting sound that Rou had only ever heard Wilson speak of with stars in his eyes. If his stomach fluttered he would never show it.

”My bandages,” he explained. “They can bring you right back to health in just a few hours but it’ll feel as if you’re suffering from a terrible illness.”

“It’s fine, I’ll just deal with it later. It’s not that bad.” Rou got up to find his own supplies and fix him up himself but he didn’t even make it two steps before his vision went black.

When his eyes saw clearly again, Rou was on one knee and Vezalius was holding him steady by the shoulders.

”Don’t push yourself, Rou.” His insides were melting as Vezalius stared at him with soft dandelion and rose eyes. “You’re still injured and you’re in no condition to walk yet. That bullet wasn’t just any regular one. Those were made to take down people like us.”

Rou was speechless for a moment but then he replied. “Yeah…” He couldn’t keep staring, so he looked at the ground instead.

“Let me heal you. You’ll feel completely fine by the time night falls and I’ll take the utmost best care of you while the bandages do their thing.”

Unexpectedly Vezalius raised a hand to tilt Rou’s chin up so their eyes could meet again. If Rou’s heart skipped a beat he would never admit it.

”Please. Let me heal you.”

There was a desperate look in Vezalius’ eyes.

Rou wanted to look away, to run away, to hide but he found himself captivated by Vezalius’ eyes and voice.

”…Okay…” He said.

xxx

Nothing felt off at first. The wound was wrapped well and Rou quickly put his shirt back on afterwards because he wasn’t quite ready for Vezalius to see that much of his body yet, healing related or not. Rou wasn’t ready for Vezalius’s protectiveness either. He was taken totally off guard.

”Do you need anything? More blankets? A drink?”

Rou was lying in the cabin bed trying to make himself smaller so that Vezalius would stop looking at him. Obviously it didn’t really work. Rou didn’t have the guts to push him away though. ”I’m good. Thanks.”

Rou pulled the covers over his head despite the fact that he was starting to feel like he was burning up. His breaths were so hot and he started to shiver. But Rou didn’t want to bother Vezalius either and he wasn’t sure what the other hero could do anyways so he just closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep. 

Many different images and scenes played out before him but the one that stuck out to him the most was a forest full of trees and blanketed by snow. The wind left goosebumps on his skin as he paved a path through the snow. Just by listening he knew that Vezalius was just right behind him. Then, his instincts told him something was wrong and the next thing he knew he had tackled Vezalius to the ground. He didn’t even feel the bullet hit his side. The only thing Rou registered was the fear that he wasn’t fast enough and the look on Vezalius’s face under him.

“Rou? Wake up, Rou…”

Weakly, Rou cracked open his eyes. The snowy forest was gone and the chill he felt turned into a scorching heat concentrated right between his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed in pain.

There was a blurry Vezalius Bandage right in front of him. In a gentle voice Vezalius asked, “Are you feeling alright? I can heal you if you’re hurting anywhere.” When Rou didn’t say anything (his tongue was too heavy) Vezalius just sighed and straightened out his hair. “I’ll leave you alone then.”

Seeing Vezalius turn away was too much. Rou gathered all of his strength to speak. “Wait.” He said. Somehow he reached out a hand and was able to grab onto Vezalius’ sleeve.

”You’re alive,” he muttered to himself. His head hurt. “You’ll stay here with me and the rest of the heroes, right?”

Vezalius immediately softened and kneeled down at Rou’s bedside. A hand appeared in his hair again, gently stroking it and giving him a warmness that did not belong to himself. Rou closed his eyes and leaned into it.

”Yeah. I’m staying.”

”Good.” Rou sank lower into the bed. It was seriously getting hot. He was feeling sluggish and could barely keep his eyes open. He still wanted to know that Vezalius was still there. “Can you…”

”Yes?” Vezalius leaned in. He brushed hair out of Rou’s eyes. Rou appreciated the sentiment.

“Can you lay here with me?” Rou shut his eyes so he didn’t have to see what kind of face Vezalius would make. He didn’t want to see aprehension, hesitation or disgust. He just wanted to hear him say yes or no or feel him scoot Rou over or just leave him be. He could even take a silent rejection.

”Sure. You have to move over though.”

Vezalius ended up doing most of the moving since Rou was practically immobile. Even though Rou himself felt like he was a heat generator of some sort he coveted the warm radiance that Vezalius gave off. As soon as Vezalius got into the bed with him Rou pressed up close and Vezalius didn’t push him away.

Rou melted in his arms. Even though he probably looked really sick and sweaty. Vezalius let him come even closer. If Rou thought Vezalius felt safe, he would never say it. “I’m glad you’re alive…” 

Vezalius breathed a sigh and returned to stroking Rou’s hair. He loved it. “You’re a good boy.” It made Rou’s heart jump in his chest.

”You shouldn’t say that to a man in this state.” Rou managed to whisper. Vezalius was warm but his blue shirt was cool. Rou buried his face in it. “It’s not fair. I won’t even remember.”

“Then just sleep. I’ll say it again once you wake up.” Rou’s eyes were drifting closed.

”If I asked you to let me be your dog when I wake up, would you?”

Vezalius’ laugh was dreammy. “Hahaha~ What are you saying?”

”I like you a lot.” His eyes were glued shut. “So I would like it if I were your dog…”

”Just go to sleep.” Rou was already most of the way there. “I’ll consider it if you ask again when you wake up.”

”That’s not fair…”

xxxtra:

Rou woke up during the evening in a mess of sweat and clothes. It was so incredibly hot. With his feverish body heat as well as several layers of blankets on top of him Rou was 2 seconds away from getting a heat stroke. Probably.

He tried to sit up but something was stopping him. He thought it was just blankets but when he turned his head to look Rou found out that Vezalius was lying next to him, arms encircling him, sleeping. Rou tensed up in surprise but relaxed after he saw how peaceful Vezalius looked. He looked just about as tired as Rou felt. They went on the same strenuous mission together after all.

Rou was able to free one of his hands. He wanted to brush Vezalius’ hair back from his face but thought better of it. No such thing was ever going to happen between them. Instead Rou put his hand on Vezalius’ shoulder and shook him. Vezalius’ eyes opened first and his mouth curved into a smile when they landed on Rou. “Thanks for waking me. Are you feeling better now?”  Vezalius sat up and rubbed his eyes. He got out of bed, to strech and yawn, before picking up his things.

“Yeah, I feel much better. Thanks for taking care of me but we should start heading back.

“It was no problem at all.”

”Did I say or do anything weird? Sorry if I did.” Rou said as he tidied up the cabin shelter.

”Not at all~ If fact you were being a really good boy.” Vezalius pat his head as he walked past.

What the hell.

On the way back Rou felt like he was forgetting something. Something he did while he was sick and delierious. But it didnt matter, Rou had already decided for himself. For himself and Vezalius. If Rou felt like he was in love, he would never confess it.

Chapter Text

Hot fire running through vains, burning at the back of the throat, a bitter aftertaste left behind. These words could describe two things Wen could think of, alcohol and heartbreak. It wasn’t often that the heroes would go out drinking together, nor was it often that they broke each other’s hearts either.

”Wen! I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean to!!!”

Vanta was tracking Wen down after everyone had already said they’re goodbye’s and gone their separate ways. After everything Vanta did, Wen figured he would walk home without him.

”But it happened didn’t it?” Wen was going to pretend to ignore him but gave in and spoke up instead. He said with a pout. “It’s fine. I’ll just go drinking by myself next time…”

”Nah. You’re not doing this right now.”

Vanta finally caught up with Wen and grabbed his wrist but the rosette refused to even glance at him or even stop walking.

”And what if I am?”

”Oh come on!! I only spilled one drink!! And I bought you a different one!!”

That was when Wen stopped and looked at Vanta. Oh. He actually looked like he was sorry so Wen might have started to feel bad. But like he said Vanta was the one that bought him a drink and Wen wasn’t seriously mad in the first place. Too bad Vanta was too easy to tease.

”Is that really it?” Wen asked, leaning in. Vanta suddenly looked uncomfortable talking face to face. He always said there was something about Wen’s eyes. “Maybe its more about the meaning than the drink, Vanta~”

”WHAT meaning???” Vanta pouted and crossed his arms. “Isnt the meaning of me buying your drink any meaning enough?!”

”Oh? There was a meaning to that?” Wen pretended to look thoughtful but it was almost pointless to hide his own smile when it was already so hard to control. “Could you elaborate on that further?”

Looks like it’s Vanta’s turn to be mad. “Like I’d ever tell you, idiot.”

”Whaaaat? You think I’m an idiot? Who are you calling an idiot??” Wen was circling around Vanta trying to get him to look him in the eyes. But the tyrant just wouldn’t.

”Nothing. Nobody. Let’s go home.” Vanta sounded so done that Wen thought he should give up playing charades. He laughed and wrapped himself around one of Vanta’s arms. He smiled. “Okay~ Let’s go home and you can play games on the TV while we cuddle~”

xxx

Seriously. Besides the taste of alcohol there was no better feeling than being wrapped in strong and warm arms, with a chest under you and a blanket on top. Vanta’s build made him the perfect pillow. He was a human heat generator, not to mention how broad his chest was that Wen could be in at least twenty other poses and still be comfortable leaning against his boyfriend.

Did he mention that? Vanta was his boyfriend. And Wen was the luckiest man in the world.

”What’s happening in the game this time?” He asked curiously. His head was turned sideways so the TV screen was in his view. Lots of different dark and light colors shone all over the screen but none of them mattered to Wen that much.

”Turns out the monster we were fighting has been manipulated by an outside force so now we’re trying to figure out who or what it is.”

”Oh… how fun~” Wen loved the way Vanta’s voice sounded when his ear was on him. It was rumbly and tingly. But more than that it was the knowledge that he was probably the only one Vanta would let be this close. It made him feel wanted. Needed maybe. Feel loved for sure. Wen yawned.

”If you’re sleepy you should just sleep. You don’t have to watch me play games all night you know.”

”What, trying to get rid of me?” Despite his words the man was fighting a losing battle against eyelids and fatigue. He was just so warm and happy… he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

”Nah. I might still be playing in the morning. If not i’ll be playing tomorrow. Just stop being a dumbass and go to sleep already.”

Wen mumbled something back. But even he couldn’t make it out.

”Bruh, whatever.” The light of the TV screen shut off. “Look I’ll go to sleep too. It’s late anyways.”

Without any light or screen to focus on, Wen could no longer open his eyes. Even the sound and touch of Vanta was starting to fade and become murky.

But he heard one last thing as he dozed off.

”Good night Wen. I love you.”

And no matter how much Wen messed with Vanta, he hoped the tyrant knew he loved him too.

Chapter Text

He was a mess but he always did his best.

And when his best still wasn’t enough, he knew of one person with the genius and the skill to unravel him carefully and weave him together again.

He knew he was just taking advantage of Mana’s kindness and his longing to save others.

But it felt right.

Kagetsu’s clothes were thin. He didn’t wear much other than his ninja clothes over the tight black shirt that Mana was tracing. Kagetsu felt a gentle finger gliding over the outline of his body, starting at the base of his arm. He shivered as it went down his torso, then skimmed across the bare skin of his tummy.

“Stay with me, up here,” Mana whispered when he noticed Kagetsu’s breath hitching. His hand lifted to Kagetsu’s jaw, running along the bottom, raising his chin up and up and up until his face was tilted up enough for Mana to lean in for a kiss. for Mana to swallow him whole.

Their rapid heartbeats fell into synchronization as Kagetsu was pressed intimately into the wall behind him. Mana was so warm, present in the way his chest was firm and grounding, and how his fingers laced with kagetsu’s. His gentle voice filled his ears and soothed his mind.

Kagetsu thought kissing always looked hungry in movies, powered by desire to take, to feel. Mana was nothing like that. His love was like a blanket draped around Kagetsu’s shoulders. His soft lips reminded him of napping in the sun and his cradling tongue was reminiscent of drinking warm water and honey for a sore throat.

Kagetsu didn’t make a sound while Mana hummed softly. Not when a hand tickled his lower back or when he almost choked on Mana’s tongue or when a knee appeared between his legs. Not a sound, not even a squeak. He wanted to be nothing.

But being nothing meant losing a grasp. It meant losing control. He could no longer squeeze Mana’s hand. In fact, he didn’t know if he could feel his fingers at all.

The lights around them dimmed and Kagetsu started to feel dizzy. Lucky there was a burning presence holding him fast to the wall. No thing could knock him down so long as Mana was there to hold him up.

He wanted to look at Mana’s face. He longed to study those bright eyes. Sometimes they were filled with love and energy. Sometimes it was sorrow. But they were always there when he needed them most, framed by birch curls and sloping cheeks.

Kagetsu wanted to see them, but he could not focus his eyes for the life of him. They rolled around aimlessly, shapes and colors and sounds becoming blurs. He just wanted to see Mana’s eyes.

Finally, the spell was released. Mana backed off to replenish his breath and in that moment Kagetsu pitched forward, knees giving out.

“Kagetsu!” His head fell into the crook between Mana’s neck and his shoulder. His knees hit the ground, but Mana had a hold on his arms to prevent him from falling any further. Just enough strength returned to Kagetsu’s arms for him to find support on Mana’s biceps.

Now began the process of putting him back together.

“If you were running out of air you shoulda said something,” Mana reprimanded. He wrapped his arms around the ninja and hugged him fiercely. “Please. Okay?”

Kagetsu was busy catching his breath. His head felt heavy as the concept of existence returned to him. He wanted to go back. He wasn’t ready to be real again, yet.

“Kagetsu, just say something.” Mana pleaded. It was a desperate voice, but one that trusted Kagetsu to listen and respond.

“Yeah.”

Piece by piece, he returned to normal. 

Mana took care of him.

Mana put him back together.

Chapter Text

Out of all heroes Rito knew Wilson was one of them that Rito knew the least. It wasnt either of their faults as they were both busy all the time or that they were so popular with other people or that they just never thought to hang out. They saw each other occasionally at battle and when hanging out with other heroes, but they had never been with each other on their own yet. Until now.

Rito was just out shopping for more clothes. New ones that weren’t stained or stolen or smelling like tobacco. He should tell his friends to stop stealing his shirts and sweaters. He would buy some for them if they just asked! Probably. Rito looked up from where he was browsing and saw the person he least expected. Wilson!

”OOHH! Wilson!” He called out. Wilsons head whipped around so fast that Rito could feel his own neck hurting in protest. Rito didn’t have to fake a smile like he did with strangers. “What brings you here!”

Like Rito, Wilson was smiling as he came over. Looks like he already bought some things from the mall judging by the way a paper bag bounced by his hip. “Rito! Nice to see you, I was just thinking of getting more shirts.”

”What a coincidence! Me too.” Rito pulled a random hanger and showed it to Wilson. “Ittetsu, Mana, and Wen keep wearing my shirts and ruining them, so I have to get new ones.”

”Are you thinking of that one specifically?” Wilson pointed at the shirt. Rito looked down to see that it said ‘oppai’ across the chest. A flash of embarrassment punched him in the face but Rito decided to double down. “Of course this one specifically! Look how stylish it is!”

Wilson’s laugh didnt have to be anything special. It was just like the laugh of any other person yet it still lit up the room. It was probably brighter than any of the lights in the mall. Rito couldnt help but start laughing too.

”Yeah, it’s really stylish,” Wilson agreed once his giggles curbed. “Are there any other ones in that size? I should get one for Vantacrow.”

“For Vanta? True! He and I are about the same size.” Rito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Let me see if i can find another one.”

Just like that, the two heroes sifted through the store showing off clothes to each other. The wackier the better. The place was just filled with ridiculous sequin pants and hilariously designed shirts. By the end of it they were all tired out cheeks and abs hurting with no new shirts to show for it.

“Lets at least get the matching ‘oppai’ shirts,” Wilson decided before they decided to leave. “Im sure Vanta would be more than glad to match with you.”

Cute, Rito followed the smaller blonde. He shops for Krisis.

“Wanna grab coffee after this?” He inquired trailing after Wilson. “I usually drink coffee around this time.”

“Coffee?” Wilson perked up. He was stopped in his tracks to the cashier. “Of course! I love coffee!” His eyes were so wide and sparkly Rito had to resist the urge to pinch his cheeks. Instead he just smiled. “Great!” he said.

Too cute.

After purchasing their shirts the two friends moved to the food court of the mall. It wasn’t packed with people but it wasnt exactly empty enough for it to be easy to navigate either.

Rito grabbed Wilson and pulled him closer when he almost got run into. “Dont go too far away or we’ll get lost from each other.” Wilson was the same size as Mana, and fit perfectly in Rito’s arms.

Wilson muttered, “Woah, so ikemen.”

Rito laughed.

“You tryna flatter me right now?”

“Will it get me a free coffee?”

“You’re starting to sound like a thief.”

“Me? A thief???” Wilson gasped. He placed one hand on his forehead and his other hand on Rito’s chest. “I would never do that. Never. Ever. Ever!”

He wore a face like he was offended but Rito could see the hidden smile underneath. The big man grinned. “Well as a great and generous hero it is my job to maintain peace and protect the people’s happiness,” He grabbed Wilson’s hand on his chest and leaned closer. “If buying you a coffee is what it takes to protect your happirness then so be it.”

Wilson’s face turned red and the hitman turned hero quickly looked away.

“Sprry, did I say something wrong?” Rito quickly said. Damn it, he was just getting close to Wilson and he suddenly fucked it up !

“No no. You just caught me off guard.”

“My bad. My friends aren’t so cute,” Rito thought of Wen’s and Ittetsu’s, less than healthy habits, plus Mana… Well Mana was plenty cute. “so I dont joke around with them this way often, I might not be good at it.”

Suddenly, Wilson’s hand was gripping Rito’s. “Your friends, Oriens…”

“Yeah.”

”Rito…. You’re not talking to… other heroes, are you?”

Wilson finally met Rito’s eyes, and his pair were ice cold.

A shiver ran up Rito’s spine with the sudden change. Wait what just happened? Dont tell Rito he fucked up twice in a row.

”I’m the only hero you’re going to go on missions with from now on, right?”

Rito saw something dangerous flash in Wilson’s eyes.

”umm-“

”Just kidding!” Wilson went from scary villain murder back to sunny hero sunshine. He punched Rito in the shoulder. “I got you didn’t I? The look on your face is priceless.” Just like that Wilson walked past Rito without another word. It was their turn to order.

Scary…

“Good morning welcome to B*ba Tea. Will you two be ordering together or separate?”

Wilson didn’t even look back whilst Rito appraoched beside him at the counter. The blonde just quietly took Rito’s hand and said, “Together, please.”

Chapter Text

Mana came home to a dark living room and a boyfriend on the floor. Before he put his keys away or took off his jacket, he went to check on Ittetsu.

“Hey,” he said. Half his mind said to kick him. Half his mind said dont. Mana nudged Ittetsu gently with his foot.

Ittetsu opened his eyes and watched Mana stand there.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing on the floor? Ya goof.”

Ittetsu yawned, making Mana roll his eyes,

“Dont wanna get up.”

“And you keep complaining about back problems.”

Mana went back to the doorway to lock the door, put away his shoes properly and hang up his coat and keys where they belonged.

“Wen and Rito not home yet?”

Mana asked curiously as he layed with Ittetsu on the ground. Not the same way as him. Ittetsu hated to be close to others when he’s in a laying on the ground mood. His face sank into the soft rug and he smiled at Ittetsu, upside down. Even when he was gloomy or just had a blank face on, Mana thought he was probably the most handsome out of all of them.

“The other two went out to eat somewhere. I didnt wanna come so I stayed home.”

“That means I get you all to myself?”

That baited a smile outta Tetsu.

“That means you get me all to yourself.”

Mana lifted a hand out of habit and stopped himself. But when Ittetsu blinked a long blink without moving or backing away Mana delicately brushed hair out of Ittetsu’s eyes. Rings of maroon and magenta looked like distant, surreal planets. Mana loved those eyes.

“What have you been doing all day?” Mana said. He was constantly busy going out to sing, making connections, doing shows and everything else that he got to see his boyfriends the least out of all of them.

“Went to the store. Studied. Found a couple of new memes. Yknow. The usual.”

“Oh? Find anything good?”

He was playing with Ittetsu’s hair now.

xxx

Their lips met. It was both familiar and different. Ittetsu tasted the same, his lips felt the same and his face still fit in his hands. But he was upside down. 

Curiously, Mana slipped his tongue in to Ittetsu’s mouth seemingly to his boyfriend’s surprise. As he thought, it was easier to move around this way, swirling around and folding Tetsu’s tongue like it was nothing.

Ittetsu didnt pull back at any point, he always took whatever opportunity came to him. He flicked his tongue against Mana’s, the lovely feeling of them sliding and rubbing encouraging them both.

“Mmm,” Mana purred, scooting his body a little bit closer. If they were in it for the long game he might as well get cozy.

Well cozy was one story. Messy was another story. At some point, their interlocking embrace migrated. Between breaths and croons and pursuits, Mana eventually found himself welcoming Tetsu into his home, sucking and whispering praises, trying to get his fill like his heart was an empty mug.

He loved Ittetsu so much. He loved the way his eyes looked, the light that sparked in them. He loved the way his tough hands felt when they held hands but he loved it more when Tetsu began to knead his scalp and play with his hair. He loved the way he was breathless, content and hungry all at once.

It wasn’t enough. Not with Tetsu, he could never get enough. Mana swallowed the taste of his boyfriend one last time before letting go. When he backed away, Ittetsu looked a little more lively, maybe even disappointed that Mana put distance.

That meant that…

“Can you take off your sweater? I want to feel closer to you.” Mana stated earnestly.

Ittetsu’s eyes lit up and he sat up with out a second thought. Ittetsu’s white and brown sweater came off and so did Mana’s blue polo, leaving the two in just their black and white undershirts respectively. The bee hero relished the sight of Ittetsu’s bare skin and toned biceps.

“Let’s move to the couch, Mana.” Tetsu led Mana by the wrist just a meter away, sitting down and guiding Mana to straddle his lap, knees landing on both sides of Ittetsu’s hips. His arms wrapped tenderly around Mana’s waist.

“Is this comfortable for you?” He asked.

“More than comfortable,” Mana responded, sinking into Ittetsu, into his lips as they started up again, into his body as fingers tiptoed up his back, into his eyes as Mana let himself lose himself.

He wanted to commit everything to memory, so that next time he was out for long again he had something to remember Ittetsu by. Shyly he found the hem of Ittetsu’s shirt and snuck his hand underneath.

“Nn,” Ittetsu mumbled into Mana’s lips. Hi roughly grabbed the fabric of Mana’s shirt near his shoulder blades as Mana caressed Ittetsu’s body with his thumb.

His abdomen was soft. When Mana carved circles with arching curves, Ittetsu gripped his shirt tighter and pulled him closer. Getting rid of any gap between them. Mana reached the outlines of his ribs. Each one was perfectly shaped, branching out from his center to his sides and back again. They brought out heavy breathes; more frequent partings for air led Mana to nibble on the side of Ittetsu’s neck. His skin was slick with sweat but Mana didn’t mind. It wasnt new. 

He found his way back to Ittetsu’s lips when his hand traversed upwards. He wanted to capture every sound, every murmur the came his way. He was selfish in that way.

“Mana kun,,” was drowned out by Mana stealing Ittetsu’s tongue and breath for himself. Every hum, every hitch, and every haaa was his as he played with Ittetsu’s chest. Pinching where he pleased. Squeezing what was there. Massaging what was left.

His own selfishness would be his downfall. Ittetsu wanted payback and he got it through the sensitivity of Mana’s legs.

Mana was busy tasting, remembering, singing, when he felt his legs and ass being clutched. It jolted him for a second, but not enough for him to give up every touch flick and swallow.

Ittetsu tried again, holding Mana’s upper thigh captive. “Ahh,” he expelled through his lips but Ittetsu Saiki was still not satisfied enough with the reaction. His hands shifted again, brushing against Mana’s spread inner thighs, causing Mana to twitch slightly every time.

Mana felt the grin appearing on Ittetsu’s fave but he couldn’t stop it in time, too buried in his own wants to tell. A firm squeeze sent a shockwave through him.

Mana’s back stiffened involuntary, body tensing against Ittetsu, and breath escaping in fluttery breaths. He sought refuge and stability in the warmth of the heartbeat beneath him. When Mana recovered, Ittetsu was smirking mischievously at him.

“That’s unfair,” Mana pouted. He looped his arms around his partner’s neck.

Ittetsu seduced Mana into another kiss again. Another but softer squeeze caused him to shiver.

“All’s fair in love and war.”

Mana rolled his eyes for the second time that night. and once more slipped his tongue between Ittetsu’s lips. How long have they been doing this for? Mana would never get old of it. If Ittetsu’s tongue was exhausted of taste, he still had lips for Mana to make swollen. After that he still had a bare neck, a sensative frame, soft hair, strong hands. Even if all that was gone Mana would still think his eyes looked as heavenly as planets. 

“Mfph,” Mana gasped when a light touch grazed his lower back. Though his back was already arched enough as it was, the caressing forced him to squeeze his knees together around Ittetsu’s hips and struggle to find his breath in Ittetsu’s territory. “Ah, hhh…..”

It was almost embarrassing , effectively collapsing into Ittetsu once more while his tongue was still in his mouth, fighting to stay upright and against the diziness setting in.

Ittetsu had the lead now. He took Mana’s tongue in stride neither letting him win nor escape. Hands cupped Mana’s ass and hefted him closer, even closer, close enough that he could feel something exciting underneath him. 

The movement was too much. Or maybe it was the thumb resting where his inner thigh and his body met or it was the skilled hand lifting up his shirt in the back.

Mana’s body tensed up again, this time causing his dizzy head to fall away and land on Ittetsu’s sturdy shoulder warm with heat.

Ittetsu stopped what he was doing immediately. A pause for a brief moment. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just,, tired.” Mana looked up to see worried eyes peeping down at him. “But I dont want to stop. I need to feel you more, Ittetsu…”

A hand cradled the back of Mana’s head and soon his was gently put down on his back, his own hand fell next to his head.

“Dont worry. I can take care of you,” Ittetsu smiled and Mana’s racing heart skipped a beat. He pinned Mana’s hand next to his head and peppered his lips with soft gentle kisses. Stark contrast to their war of push and tug. Warmth touched his soul as a weight draped over his body.

Ittetsu grabbed Mana’s other hand and also gave it a kiss, then brought it too his neck. They stared at each other expectantly. Breathing hot air into each other’s faces as Mana hooked his finger onto the collar around ittetsu’s neck, tugging it, tracking the curve of his collarbone, feeling his tender and heated chest through the black shirt, ticking his sides (earning him a chortle and a quick peck), running his finger back up Ittetsu’s spine.

“Youre beautiful,” was the only words Mana could think to say when Ittetsu guided his hands back to cup his cheeks.

“No,” Ittetsu turned his head and pressed his sweaty palm to his lips again, planting a deep kiss into it before throwing Mana’s arm back around his neck. Their feverish foreheads touched.

“You’re beautiful.”

They kissed again but it wasnt as naughty or messy. Just two boyfriends full of love. They wanted nothing but to share a long, deep, loving and tender kiss. The sound of a door closed and out of nowhere the lights turned on. Both Ittetsu and Mana jumped, breaking apart to look up. Mana had still yet to fully regain his bearings.

“You guys are soooooo dirty,” Wen cackled right away. He was pointing and hid his huge jagged smile behind his hand. “Come on now, get a room, you two!”

“Wen, that room’s for us,” Rito did a backhanded slap on Wen’s arm walking past. Then cleared his throat. “You two can keep yourselves busy out here. Wen and I have things to do in the room, but we’ll call you when we’re done.”

Just like that, Rito grabbed Wen’s hand and dragged them to the bedroom, Wen just waving and smiling before the door slammed closed.

Mana’s breathing was slowly reaching normal levels. He threw an arm over his eyes to shield himself from the living room lights. “We can agree that they’re fucking, right?” 

“Of course theyre fucking,” Ittetsu agreed sitting up, “You saw the look on Rito kun’s face? Wen’s really getting it tonight.”

“You think Wen’s getting it??!” Mana peeked out to give Ittetsu a doubtful look. “You obviously not gone out with Wen before. He becomes something else when he’s had alcohol but not yet drunk.”

Ittetsu’s cute fangs showed themselves as he laughed and scratched the back of his head.

“Dahahahh…your right. I feel better now. Wanna cook something for them after they finish?

“Sure…Can you help me?” Mana held his hand out to Ittetsu in plea to get up.

“Why! What’s wrong?” Ittetsu looked worried again. Mana weakly smiled and repeated Ittetsu’s words back to him. “Dont wanna get up.”

Chapter Text

Shou was an idiot. Shou was the biggest biggest biggest idiot Rai knew. Even bigger than baka Kagetsu. For someone who worked in a shop filled with junk and explained away their antique values rather than let Rai dismantle them for spare parts, Shou was an even bigger idiot than Rai initially thought.

Dytica was close, okay? But not close enough for Shou to just do these stupid things and give Rai these stupid feelings and not pay for the stupid consequences. But maybe it‘s Rai’s fault for thinking Shou could read these stupid hints!

Rai didnt realize he was in love. He didnt realize until he started to do stupid things around Shou and Shou started to do stupid things around him and now he was going to die of a stupid heart attack! Now he was in a situationship that Shou didnt even know he was a part of.

“Can I try some of that?” Rai was just peacefully enjoying rice cakes that he bought for dytica a couple of days ago. But no one would open it, so now he was eating some by himself. His efforts went unappreciated!

Shou stood behind the chair Rai was sitting on, regarding his snack curiously. This close, Rai could see the curiosity and interest behind those normally blank eyes.

”Mmmm…….” Rai hummed as he chewed. He thoughtfully pierced another rice cake with his toothpick while he considered his options. He bought these! But he bought them for dytica. And none of them were eating it! He was just treating himself to a snack.

”Thanks.” What? Rai froze as Shou leaned forward, tucking his hair behind his ear and taking the rice cake right off of Rai’s tooth pick. He straightened back up. “Its yummy.” He commented before moving on and continuing with his day.

Rai however was still frozen in place, heart beating irregularly. His face was burning up, if this was any other thing he might think to go see a doctor. But its been happening often and almost always when Shou did something. He knew it was his team mate.

Of course the source of his problems was his team mate! It had to be when his silky hair always caught Rai’s eyes and his thick lavender eyelashes drew in all his attention and the smell of sweet perfume and old books made him feel weak.

Okay. Maybe he should see a doctor, that didnt sound very healthy. Yet he knew what the cause of it was! That was enough!

Sometimes it was the big things that got Rai’s heart racing. When they were out on missions during cold nights, Shou would give Rai his outer white…. whateveritwas. 

“You sure you want to give that to me?” Rai playfully said. “You look like you’ll be colder than I am!”

”I can’t feel cold, though.” Shou put the jacket around Rai’s shoulder before he could protest.

Always claimed that the cold didnt affect him as much. maybe if they were in a cave or it was inconviniently dark out, Shou would grab his hand to make sure they didnt get separated. As much as he wanted it to mean something Inami Rai knew that the thoughts and tact behind these actions just flew over Shou Hoshirube’s head. Every time. Stupid billion year old octopus.

Most of the time it was the small actions that made Rai feel the most. Some sorta unrequited knot tied itself like festive ribbons in his throat when Shou arrived back home and bought something from the store for Rai or because it reminded him of Rai somehow. 

He received sweets and random bits over the years in this way and he filed them all away into a little drawer beside his bed. Shou liked to move his things around too. Not in a way to mess with him but Rai left his tools and things all over while he was working and Shou was the one to put them away, to clean up after him. But he always knew the right place to put them.

And what got to Rai the most was when he was just resting his eyes on the couch, curled up comfortably, and Shou draped a blanket over him because he thought he was sleeping. It was so considerate and thoughtful that Rai couldnt bring himself to open his eyes and make fun of Shou for showing he cared. He liked feeling like he was cared for. Rai wanted to read into it but he knew it would be better if he didnt. Better for Shou, better for dytica and better for his own weak heart. His weak heart was unfit for the work of a normal functioning hero.

“What the hell is that?” Kagetsu squinted at the monster tossing wires and arms around while it sat on top a pole. It looked like a jumbled blob; a mess of wires That all tangled together in knots.

“Denki monster?” Shou proposed. What did that even mean! “Real life pikachu?”

”That looks nothing like a mouse.” Rou sounded like his most preferred method of fighting at the moment was just to take a nap and let the problem take care of itself. “The only thing that’s the same is the electricity part.”

”The most important question,” Rai entered the conversation, “is about how to defeat it. Okay? I couldn’t care less about what it is. Lets get this over with.”

Rai and Rou went in head on while Shou and Kagetsu covered. Kagetsu watched for impending attacks and Shou protected their blind spots. Rai ignored the thought of Shou watching every movement he made.

The monster shot out bolts of electricity every time Rai and Rou got close. Both of them were able to withstand the kind of power that the monster dished out, but quickly Rai noticed that Shou’s tentacles retreated whenever a nother shock wave passed by.

”Every time I cut off an arm it just grows it back,” Rou complained. However he continued to brandish his sword and jump straight back in. Occasionally Kagetsu made really good shots from where he was. But the holes he put in the monster were quickly regenerated.

”We need to find a way to defeat it quickly,” Rai grunted as he swung his hammer. He was also able to take out a couple of arms. “I dont think Shou can take the electricity. We are vulnerable.”

”Well. We have got each other right?” In a slash Rou cut the monster in two. Half fell limp, sparking and melting away into dust. The other half fell off the light pole and dropped all the way to the ground. “It’s easier than you think.”

Rai and Rou landed on the ground together then turned to watch and see if the monster would get back up. Rai didnt wait another second before putting his hammer back on his back and running up to get a closer look. Rou nodded and said “I’ll go check on the other two.”

The monster’s remains were still twitching but there wasnt anything else or any other activity. But it didnt disintegrate like the other half did either. If it stayed like this for another couple of minutes Rai might collect it and take it back for research.

He eyed it for another second before getting up and heading back towards the others. If it did anything, he knew he could swing his hammer and it would be gone in less than a second…

”Everyone okay over here?” Rai called out to them, approaching them. He frowned a little bit when he saw how beat up Shou looked. His tentacles looked like it was charred in some areas. “Shou, are you-“

Rai felt an energy emanating through the air. He didnt even need his instincts to know that there was a wire shooting right out towards them, but specifically towards Shou. His heart dropped. If it was anyone else he would have reached for his hammer or shout out a warning. This stupid, weak heart of his.

One second he was looking into Shou’s troubled eyes, pools of moss green surrounded by crimson. Rai thought of copper components he used in his machines. One second he was looking at them and the next second he was jumping in the way to take the hit for them.

“Look out, Rai!”

The wire came into contact with Rai. It touched him directly, lighting up a single point of white hot pain. Heat and pain flashed through his body in a flash like he was exploding from the inside. Burning up every microscopic part of his body. Air rushed past his ears, a ringing coming with it, then he felt the hard ground and everything was gone.

xxx

”Rai! Get a hold of yourself!”

There were words Rai could hear but he couldnt quite understand. It was static to his ears. Maybe to the fault of the monster, or maybe because of his hero suit malfunctioning. 

“Rebooting,” a robotic voice whispered into his mind. A vision like a game loading filled his eyes and before he knew it there were small determined sparks running through his body.

”Come on, come back!”

A weight pushed down on his chest like a heartbeat to replace his own but his head stayed heavy like it was taken out of a fiery oven and dunked into a bucket of water. He didnt feel alive. He felt as lukewarm as the air and the ground and his own projects when they were not fully powered yet.

Another spark and more heartbeats. The paniked voice stayed hovered over him, a warm presence held him, and the heartbeats stopped. The shocks continued. The voice was reduced to a whisper when the electricity being sent through Rai’s body caused it to start working again. He was alive and warm but the sound of the voice made him feel cold.

”Just wake up, dont go just yet…”

”Ugh,” Rai groaned as his brain kicked into function again. He could still feel certain areas that felt off like the part of his brain that understood language or the core ideal that told him to be a hero.

The whispering voice grew louder again showering him still with words he did not understand yet. But slowly he could start hearing them and he remembered who he was and what he was running around for. Rai Inami, mechanic hero of dytica, opened his eyes.

“Rai.” Shou looked all of concerned, surprised, and taken off guard. “Youre alive.”

”Shou.” Rai had the urge to punch his own head to get rid of the static in his mind but decided against it. He rubbed his temples, his eyes were still adjusting. “Why wouldnt I be?”

Shou was worrying over him. Shou was worrying over him. Shou Hoshirube, Rai’s team mate and crush, was worrying over him. The thought buzzed at the back of Rai’s mind. But he ignored it.

”Your heart wasnt beating a second ago.” Shou reached out hesitantly. Then he dropped his hand to his side. “I couldnt get it to start again. I was going to get help.”

”Oh.” Rai slowly sat up careful not to hurt himself any further. Looks like he got thrown way far out from the battle. “I built systems for if I ever stop breathing or if my heart stops beating.”

Rai didnt meet Shou’s eyes. He already felt like he was at rock bottom. His heart would only sink farther if he saw the look on Shou’s face right now. “So dont worry about me.”

Just when Rai was about to get away with brushing it off Shou stopped him. He had a serious look on his face. “But I care about you.”

Rai froze, his heart stuttered. For a split second he thought it was going to stop again. Shou watched him for an answer but Rai looked up and got lost in those eyes. The colors were dull but the spirit was lively. Shou looked away first. 

“I care about you, so.” Shou was also shy about what he said. His face became flushed.  “So, take care. Dont do something like that for me again.” Quickly Shou stood up and turned away. “I’ll get mad if you do.”

Rai was left sitting there, half-still asleep from being revived from his own suit and half-too aware of his still beating, traitorous heart.

Xxx

Shou was a liar. Shou was the biggest biggest biggest liar Rai knew. Even bigger than liar Rou. For someone who always kept it straightforward with him in the most polite ways when Rai totally deserved way worse, Shou was an even bigger liar than Rai initially thought.

Shou said that he cared about Rai but the two of them avoided each other for the rest of the week. After the other members of dytica took out the monster for good, Rou took Rai to get checked up on while Kagetsu and Shou took care of the rest of the mission.

When they left the clinic and came home there was food bought and ready for them but Shou already went to sleep. He was always out of the house by the time Rai woke up to go to the workshop and in bed everyday before Rai got back.

When Rai asked the other two of dytica about it, they just shrugged and said he was busy. It went on for a week. He liked hanging out with Kagetsu and Rou but he really started to miss that smell of wood and sanitizer.

Did Shou lie to him? Rai wondered. What if Shou lied to him, saying that he cared and was now avoiding him because he lied? Rai didnt know how good of a liar Shou was. But if that was an attempt at it, he was a huge liar and a terrible one.

The next time Rai got to see that stupid lying octopus again was already another week later when dytica was summoned for another monster attack.

Like last time it didnt take long to get ready. Rai had his hero equipment on hand pretty much all the time and all he had to do was let his otomo fly and do the information gathering.

“Be careful.” Kagetsu warned. They were entering the affected area. “This monster can split up and combine as it pleases. And its defenses divide out to the underlings.”

The ninja of dytica flourished a kunai knife fancily before throwing and lodging it into one of underling’s bodies. The enemy did not even flinch.

“See? The best way we can deal with it is if we can get then all to become one again.”

Rai narrowed his eyes at the footage he got from his otomo companion. Rou was landing some pretty good hits but struggled with the sheer numbers while Shou rounded the enemies up pretty well but couldnt keep them contained.

“I have a plan,” Rai announced over radio. “Kagetsu, you help Rou and I’ll help Shou. We’ll round up the underlings and you guys focus on dealing damage.”

“Roger that!” Three voices responded.

Rai set his otomo on autopilot and put his goggles on. He chased after the odd underling that were separated out from the group.

“Oi, Shou! Catch!” Rai launched one underling after another towards his waiting team mate, and the other followed up perfectly. The enemies were easily corralled into a street, all according to Rai’s plan.

When Shou blocked off any possible escape for the monsters, the executive decision was for the underlings to finally combine. Though it was obvious the combined monster was just as tough for Kagetsu and Rou to defeat, it was easier to take down one monster at a time than five.

Inami sat back and regarded his handiwork once every enemy had been chased into the so called enclosure, and the ninja and the ookami then took them out with ease. In the corner of Rai’s eye, he saw a potential threat sneaking around. Not on his watch! He followed the shadow.

It forced him to stay on his toes and track it using all his resources, it was fast. He ran himself ragged through streets and alleyways and sometimes even through the midst of his team mates battle. Luckily otomo was high in the sky and able to alert Rai of its next appearances.

When it seemed the fight was about over for Kagetsu and Rou, the shadow suddenly switched directions, dashing straight for what Rai knew in his heart, and exact calculations, was Hoshirube.

Luckily, Rai got there first. “O-tto!” He blocked the shadow’s first attack with his hanmer. It was so much quicker than expected that the weapon slipped right out of his hands. Or the exhaustion caused that. Unluckily, the shadow launched a second attack much quicker than Rai could anticipate. He had no hammer to block. He almost didn’t even have time to react, but he kept his feet firmly planted, because Hoshirube was behind him. If he moved, his friend, and team mate, would be hit.

Well. Even if Shou was a big idiot and a big liar, and Rai was also a big idiot, Rai thinks he would always make the decision to take the hit for him.

Rai closed his eyes and waited for the attack. Unlike last time it didnt hurt. Or maybe it was so fast that he couldnt feel it hurt. After his back hit the floor from the recoil he almost didnt feel that something was dripping onto his face.

“Didnt I tell you not to do that again!” The soft but angry words caused Rai to open his eyes and really believe that maybe he didnt feel the pain at all. He didnt even get hit in the first place.

Blood was dripping onto his cheek but it wasnt his own. The blood belonged to the man bent over him, Shou Hoshirube. It came from a set of shallow cuts on his cheek. The one that wasnt peeling open to the universe. He towered over Rai, behind him his tentacles worked overtime to restrain the shadow monster, then squeeze it to dust. In a way, Shou was doing the same thing to Rai’s heart. Taking a hold of it and just squeezing it to bits.

“But,”

“No buts! Just like you, I can’t stand when a precious teammate gets hurt! I would rather take care of it myself!” Hoshirube looked terribly hurt. As much emotionally as physically. So hurt, that it hurt Rai to look at him.

Rai couldn’t take it anymore. “It’s not that I don’t want you to get hurt because you’re my teammate!” He got up and grabbed Hoshirube by the collar. “Our other team mates and you, I know you guys can take care of it! If it were Kagetsu or Rou, I would have let them take care of it already. But when it’s you, even if I know you can handle getting a little bit hurt, I can’t stand it. I can’t stand you! My heart beats faster when you’re around and i can’t get you out of my mind! It hurts to think that you don’t think about me the same way. But I can’t tell you, can I? You can’t stand when we’re hurt, you said so.”

“You’re hurting? Because of me?”

“Yes! Because I love you!” Inami’s anger was reaching a dangerous level.

“If you love me, why do you sound mad! I just saved your life. Shouldn’t you be happy?!”

“You got mad at me first!”

“Fine! Then let’s just stop yelling!!!”

The two of them panted when their voices went silent.

“Did you mean it?” Hoshirube shyly met Inami’s eyes, clasping Inami’s tense fist with his hand. “That you like me?”

“Of course I meant it.” Rai could smell the odd notes of books and perfume under the dust and grit of battle. “I meant every single thing.”

“Rai, I…” Slowly Hoshirube’s head lowered and he rest it on Rai’s shoulder. Rai could see individual strands of lavender hair. “I’m so glad. The truth is, I like you too. It’s my most precious secret.” Hoshirube let go of Rai’s clenched fist and wrapped his arms around the mechanic instead.

“You. You like me?” Surely Hoshirube could hear the flustered stuttering of Rai’s heart.

“Yes. And all I ever dreamed of is holding you like this.” His arms tightened around Rai. “So that you never have to get hurt for me, or anyone, ever again.”

Even if his heart might never recover from the dumb octopus’ cuteness, Rai thinks as he raises his arms to hug Hoshirube back, he thinks he can get used to being this close to his dearest more often.

xxx

“Why did it take you so long to finally confess your feelings?” Rai asked sometime later, weeks after the fateful mission was over. Hoshirube turned, facing Rai. they were both lying in the mechanic’s mussed up bed. “Same reason as you. I didn’t want you to know that your the reason why I was hurting inside.”

“But there were a lot of times that you teased me! I took a lot of damage from it, you know!!!”

“When I teased you?”

Rai recalled his memories with the ricecakes, the coat during the cold mission, the many gifts over the years.

“Oh, I just… your face goes real funny when you get flustered. It’s cute.”

“And you couldn’t tell that I was into you just from that? Of course youre the type who cant take the opportunities when theyre given to you.” Rai pouted. He chose to ignore the familiar blush crossing his cheeks. Shou called him cute! He was always paying attention to him!

“Th-thats wrong!” Shou protested. Rai’s heart fluttered when Shou looked at him with soft eyes and tucked Rai’s hair behind his ear. “I just didn’t know those… opportunities were for me.”

Rai looked at Shou’s soft pink lips. They were really close, and insanely attractive for being just one part of Shou’s face. “Well, here comes another opportunity.

Rai closed his eyes when Shou leaned in. It was everything either of them ever wanted.