Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE!
Title: Love Shot
Romance: Kinshiro x Atsushi
Word Count: chapter 1: 2,213||story: 2,213
Genre: Romance||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Diversity Writing, section H8, a multichapter with exactly 4 chapters. This was also written for Kinshiro's birthday.
Summary: Kinshiro will do anything at all for Atsushi's sake. Even challenge Cupid himself when Atsushi could be in the target zone.
Kinshiro didn't often take breaks from doing the paperwork that the Student Council required. He did so just slightly more these days than he had some weeks earlier, but more now because he had much more enticing thoughts to think than just conquering the world. The image of Atsushi floated into his mind without warning, and when that happened, he could hardly keep his mind on his work at all. He found the more it happened, the less it mattered, and five or ten minutes of restful daydreaming often sent him back to his work with renewed vigor.
He took one of those rests after plowing through at least half of what he needed to do that day, rising up and moving over to the broad window, peering outside. He knew that this was a free period and it wasn't unlikely for him to catch a glimpse of Atsushi out there somewhere. It would all depend on what the other had chosen to do today, be it stay in the Earth Defense Club's clubroom or wander somewhere else. Sometimes he even came over to visit Kinshiro, but today he knew that the president would be working out the last of the day's work and he seldom intruded on that.
Without having to think much about it, Kinshiro's gaze moved downward to where he could see those five familiar faces settled in a circle. He presumed they were talking about something, but he had no idea of what it could be, being far too high to hear them.
Listening in wasn't his style anyway, and Kinshiro far preferred to remain where he was, watching Atsushi as he relaxed and enjoyed himself.
At least he can relax now. There wasn't anyone else planning to take over the world, or pretending to, or whatever had actually been going on. No reality TV shows with oddly colored alien animals telling him exactly what he wanted to hear.
A movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye and he glanced upward, more from curiosity than anything else. He didn't expect to see anything dangerous.
At least, he didn't until he realized that someone he didn't recognize on any level was pointing a bow and arrow at… at…
Kinshiro normally thought things through exhaustively. Now he let his instincts take their course, as he leaped up through the window and toward the archer aiming for Atsushi. In between one breath and the next he transformed, the black and gold of Aurite wrapping itself around him, and a cold burning flame of fury lighting inside of him.
His sword lashed outward, smashing across the bow in a single heartbeat, and he stood over the stranger, eyes bright and furious. "What do you think you're doing?" He could not imagine why anyone would want to hurt Atsushi like that. He didn't actually care why, so long as no one did.
The stranger looked up at him, and where most people would've been angry or scared to see someone so clearly angry, super-powered, and armed, he radiated only annoyance.
"You spoiled my shot." He pushed the tip of Kinshiro's sword to the side and pulled himself to his feet. "You really shouldn't have done that." Then his eyes narrowed and he stared more intently at Kinshiro. "How do you see me, anyway? You shouldn't."
Kinshiro lifted his head, eyes narrowed in his own turn. "What do you mean? Why shouldn't I be able to see you?" He refused to move, shoulders bunching as he raised his blade again.
Before the stranger answered, Kinshiro found he was no longer alone up here. Pearlite and Argent stood on either side of him, with Epinard and Cerulean only a breath behind both of them, and Epinard closer than all of them. Vesta, Scarlet, and Sulfer stood on the far side of the stranger, all of them as wary as Kinshiro himself was.
"I see I've made an impression," the stranger said, one side of his mouth quirking up. His amazingly perfect mouth, Kinshiro noticed a bit vaguely. The more he looked, the more he realized that there wasn't anything flawed about him at all. His hair rested at the most perfect angle on his neck and was a shimmering, burnished shade that never seemed to settle into one look. Similarly, his eyes didn't seem to have one single color to them, but every flavor that anyone could possibly find beautiful.
"Who are you?" Kinshiro demanded. "And why were you aiming at Atsushi?"
The mystery archer reached for his bow and dusted it off before he answered. "I'm Cupid. Perhaps you've heard of me."
Kinshiro didn't move for a moment. "Are you trying to tell us that you're a god?"
"No. I told you who I am. You know that I'm a god." Cupid turned his full gaze on Kinshiro, and a wave of emotion that Kinshiro could not properly articulate even to himself swept over him. It wasn't fear; it wasn't lust; it wasn't love. It was something he'd never experienced in his entire life and he simply didn't have the word for it. He found himself wanting to fall to his knees and stare up in worship; his mouth dried up and for the first time he could remember, he knew there was something higher and greater than himself, and it was standing right in front of him.
Cupid's lips quirked upward once more. "And I am not surprised at all."
Kinshiro tensed more, fingers tightening on the hilt of his sword. God or no god, he wasn't going to back down and let him hurt Atsushi. He'd done that enough. He wouldn't let anyone else start it up again.
"What do you mean?"
Cupid shook his head, turning his attention to the others gathered there. "You can put your pretty toys down. For one, they won't do me any harm. For another, I don't mean any harm. You should know what my job is. I'm just doing what I always do."
Vesta shifted closer. "What, make people fall in love with each other?" He blinked at Cupid's nod. "And you were aiming for...Atsushi?"
"Yes. Seriously, you are taking forever to get around to saying it," Cupid said, looking right at Epinard. All eight of them froze and Cupid grinned, a brilliant expression that brought to mind the sun rising. "Don't worry. I already know who you all are. And I have no plans to tell anyone else. It just doesn't matter to me."
Kinshiro could not stop himself from taking a quick peek at Epinard. Since they knew each other's identities now, the blur wasn't visible to them, and that meant he had a perfect view of just how much Atsushi was blushing.
He's in love with someone? Kinshiro's shoulders tightened and he set his jaw. If Atsushi was, then he was, and Kinshiro would not be jealous of the other's interest, whoever it was. He'd had enough of being jealous already, years of it.
He turned back to Cupid. "I don't think you need to go around shooting people to make them like someone else."
"Joke's on you, then, because I don't," Cupid retorted, sorting through a quiver of arrows that appeared out of nowhere. "I don't make people love each other. I nudge them to admitting it when they already do. That's all there is to it."
"You can't just make love happen!" Vesta agreed. "It has to be natural or it just doesn't work!"
"That's right!" Scarlet threw in his piece. "Real love can't be created with funny arrows!"
Cupid blew out a long tired breath. "Which is exactly what I just said. Now, since you're clearly not going to let me do my job, get out of the way." He glanced toward Atsushi. "I'll take care of you when you don't have your bodyguard around."
It was hard to guess who was more red at that moment, Atsushi or Kinshiro. Kinshiro cleared his throat a little, trying to think his way through this. He couldn't just let this so-called god go flitting off with that kind of ominous statement hanging over their heads.
"I challenge you," he said, the words spilling out without thought. Kinshiro didn't do that often, but when it came to making certain Atsushi wouldn't have to worry about being hit by a love arrow – whether or not he actually already loved someone else – he would do anything. Even challenge a god.
Cupid tilted one eyebrow ever so slightly, volumes of curiosity evident in that one moment. "Oh, you do?"
Kinshiro looked him in the eyes. Everything that he'd felt earlier surged back and Kinshiro fought it away. It didn't matter if he were a god or not. This was for Atsushi.
"A contest. If you win, you can do as you please. But if I win, you won't ever, ever touch Atsushi with one of your arrows, no matter what. If he takes forever to tell someone he loves them, then so be it." He glanced quickly toward Atsushi. "Are you all right with this?"
Atsushi blinked a few times, clearly as confused as he'd ever been in his life. Kinshiro could never shake how his insides melted at the look behind those glasses. If he'd been willing to conquer the world to fill the void left by Atsushi, then he was twice as willing to conquer it to give to Atsushi, if he'd ever wanted it.
"Uh...sure? I guess?" He shrugged a little. "I… was just wondering who … I mean..." His cheeks reddened again and he didn't quite meet anyone's eyes.
Cupid chuckled, a deep and rich sort of sound. "Oh, no. I'm not going to tell you if you can't guess for yourself. And I won't tell anyone else, because it's none of their business."
Then he looked back toward Kinshiro. "Now, this challenge of yours. It sounds interesting." A small smile quirked the side of his mouth up. It looked far more attractive than it had any right to and Kinshiro forced himself to keep his mind on business. "Since you issued the challenge, not only do I accept, but I will decide what shape it will take."
Kinshiro steeled himself. This would not be to his advantage. He would not back down. "As you wish."
Again Cupid smiled and Kinshiro found himself thinking of Atsushi and how much sweeter his smile was than this god's, how he wished they could have some time to themselves…
He shook the thought off quickly even as Cupid spoke. He needed to keep his mind on what was going on or he would lose.
"An archery contest. You fancy yourself skilled with a bow, do you not?"
Kinshiro raised his head. There were many reasons that he practiced his skills, but those skills were as well-honed as he could make them. "If that's what you wish."
"Oh, I do indeed." Cupid fingered the string on his bow. "Would you like to start now or would you prefer to have time to think it over?"
Kinshiro could not answer, since at that moment the next bell for class rang. Cupid chuckled.
"I think we'll have to wait. You have classes, of course." He shrugged liquidly. "But you'll want to be at your peak for this anyway, I'm sure. Therefore, we'll have our contest tomorrow, at noon."
Kinshiro began to nod, then frowned. "Where?" He didn't think it would be such a good idea to have it on school grounds. People might wonder who the infernally – or divinely – handsome stranger was and that wasn't a question Kinshiro wanted to get into answering.
That got another one of those smiles from Cupid, the ones that were starting to make Kinshiro very angry just to see.
"My place. I'll pick you all up at the stroke of noon." He tilted his head, eyes sliding over all of them in appraisal. "You should probably make sure you're somewhere where no one will notice if you go on a little trip. I hear humans can get very bent out of shape if they see other humans vanish, and making them forget what they saw isn't in my skill set."
Yumoto started to ask something, one finger upraised, and Cupid interrupted before he could finish the question. "Yes, you can bring your Wombat. But now, I've got to be going. I'll see you tomorrow."
A gust of wind kicked up, forcing them all to cover their eyes, and when they could all see again, there was no sign of Cupid at all. Atsushi shook his head, looking back at Kinshiro.
"Would it be wrong to ask if that actually happened?" Atsushi wondered. "Because I don't know if I want to think we met an actual god."
Kinshiro raised his head. "I don't care who he is. I'm going to win this contest." His gaze flicked past Atsushi, who still held a scorch of a blush on his cheeks. He wanted to say so much more, but now just did not seem to be the proper time.
"Come on, we'd better get to our classes," Sulfer said at last, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Tomorrow would likely be the strangest day they'd had since the festival, no matter what else happened.
To Be Continued
Note: Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.
