Notes: Takes place within the first 16 or so episodes of Go-Busters and doesn't take into account anything that happens afterward that may joss it. Warning: dub con with a happy ending
"For one heat, all know, doth drive out another,
One passion doth expel another still."
-George Chapman
The worst part, Ryuu thought, was that he could always feel it beginning. He could feel his body start to overheat, could feel his mind slipping into madness. In that intermediate state, he could remember some of what he said and did and then...nothing.
He remembered nothing else until he was cooled down.
Nobody could tell him if it was his subconscious protecting him or if he truly became unable to form long-term memories in that state. All he knew was that once he was thoroughly overheated, he remembered nothing, even if he watched video recordings.
After the first three times, he stopped watching the recordings, because they gave him nightmares.
"Not again," he thought as he pushed back against the Metaroid that was slowly pushing him toward the raging fire it had set. Enter had gotten more inventive in ways to overheat him and it was becoming annoying.
The others were too busy with the Megazord to even realize the danger he was in and he couldn't disengage with the Metaroid. There was a ischool/i a block away. He had to keep it busy while civilians were evacuated. Even if...
Even if...his body went up a few more degrees and he could feel the villain that lived inside him rising. Why was he playing so poorly with this ridiculous creature? Why wasn't he flipping it in the air? If he stabbed its legs a few times, he could cripple it enough to be more fun.
Or he could find one of the other playthings that he saw sometimes. The yellow one made such funny squeaking noises, for example.
Ryuu fought the cruel images, tried to find a way out, but it was too hot and-
There was a man on top of him. And there were cold patches on his neck and forehead and wrists. The man was asking him something. He was supposed to answer, but all he could think of was the cold burning into four points and the heat burning through the rest of him.
The man was holding him down, pinning his arms to the floor, but it didn't hurt. Or if it hurt, he couldn't feel it through that terrible heat and it didn't matter anyway, because he wanted. He wanted something, but he couldn't remember what it was. Or he couldn't remember why he shouldn't just take it.
The man's head dipped closer and he was speaking more urgently but all Ryuu could feel was pressure against his groin. Why shouldn't he take what he wanted? There was a reason, but the heat and cold met in his center and he didn't care any longer.
He was stronger and pushed their arms up, grabbing the other's shoulders and knocking him backward, off balance. In an instant, he'd scrambled on top and was rubbing against him and it was the only thing that made the heat and cold recede.
The other was saying something, but he wasn't struggling and that was all that mattered. Ryuu panted, the air coming in cooler than his body, and rubbed his face against the other's. The other...Ryuu knew him. Knew the red uniform that brushed against his chin as he bit the other's jaw. Knew he should stop, should talk to him, should wait for the cold to overtake the heat.
He knew. He just didn't care.
When Ryuu awoke again, he was completely cooled off and in his bed. He lay for a moment, feeling more relaxed than usual after one of his...episodes.
Then he bolted upright, staring wildly around him. He remembered...Hiromu? Had he actually...no, that didn't make sense. He'd definitely been overheated, so how could he remember anything?
Ryuu tried to blot it out, but he could still feel the cold biting into four points as he lay atop Hiromu. Impossible. It was impossible. It had to be a nightmare. A...wet dream, he realized when he tried to move and the stickiness on his stomach made itself apparent.
He sat on the edge of his bed for a long time before he could make himself stand and peel the now-warm patches off his body so he could shower.
Venturing out of his room was surprisingly difficult. It wasn't as if he hadn't overheated several times in recent weeks and he knew that nobody would be blaming him. Even Yoko had gotten over her fear of him.
And surely if he'd really...if he'd...if that had happened outside of his mind, he'd have been confined, jailed, something. Right?
Nobody even looked up as he entered the room, except Gorisaki, who trundled over to pat him a few times and scold him about taking off the cold packs.
"I'm fine," he said irritably.
"Are you sure? I could get some more if you-"
"I said I'm fine."
The snap in his tone got some lifted heads and Ryuu winced. He nodded his head at Gorisaki and went to find something to eat. Yoko might have needed more sugar than the rest of them, but all of them needed to eat frequently.
Walking by Hiromu, he automatically reached out to ruffle his hair, but drew his hand back at the last moment. Hiromu glanced up and gave him a strange look.
Ryuu shook his head and kept going.
After a meal he didn't remember eating, Ryuu forced himself to head to one of the desks in the op center and call up the most recent reports so he could prepare his own. Yoko's contained nothing unexpected and he took a careful breath and opened Hiromu's. By the time he'd neared the end, Ryuu had almost convinced himself he'd just had a heat-induced nightmare.
Which is why reaching the line "After Blue Buster overheated, I followed him to a nearby warehouse to ascertain whether he was cooling down. We struggled, but I was able to apply several cold patches, which aided in his swifter recovery."
Ryuu tracked Hiromu down in the gym, where he appeared to be amusing himself by hanging upside down off the parallel bars and juggling three colorful balls.
"I need to speak to you," Ryuu managed.
Hiromu raised his eyebrows. "Okay?"
"Get down! Er, please could I speak to you right-side-up?"
Hiromu dropped the balls so he could put his hands on the floor and flip right-side-up.
"It's about...the last mission." Ryuu could feel his face going red.
"Still haven't finished your report, hmm?" Hiromu picked up the balls and leaned against the bars, juggling two idly in one hand.
"You say you cooled me down partially and we...fought?"
"I don't think I said fought, but you could call it that if you like." Hiromu frowned. "You don't remember. I thought-"
"What?"
"Never mind. You don't remember what happened?"
"I remember a little this time. But it can't be right."
Narrowing his eyes, Hiromu tilted his head. "Why not?"
"Because if I...if I had..." He hadn't even thought the word yet. "If I had raped you, surely you would have reported it."
Catching the balls, Hiromu blinked several times. "Raped me? Where in the world did you get that idea?"
Ryuu breathed slowly in relief. "I'm so glad-"
"We did have sex, but I didn't think the commander needed to know that. I'm blunt, not stupid."
The sound that came out of Ryuu's mouth was something between a squeak and a moan.
"What's wrong with you? Are you ill?"
"I held you down," Ryuu whispered. "Rutted against you like an animal."
"You don't remember as much as you think," Hiromu said, staring at the ground.
Ryuu shook his head. "But..."
"You didn't do anything wrong." Hiromu tossed the balls behind him and strode out of the gym.
Luckily for Ryuu, the gym remained empty the entire hour he sat in the middle of a mat and stared off into space.
Standing, he left the gym, turning toward the commander's office. Clearly, if Hiromu wasn't going to act, he would have to do it himself.
Caught in his thoughts, he came around a corner and smacked into Nick, who staggered backward, then leaned forward until they were almost nose to, er, nose. "Are you okay?"
Ryuu started to say yes. Then he started to say no. Eventually he just blinked at Nick, who managed (without an actual face) to look alarmed.
"This is bad. I'll get Hiromu and he'll-"
"No!" Ryuu grabbed Nick. "Not him!"
"Why not?"
"I hurt him."
Nick reared up to his full height. "What? How? I just saw him a few minutes ago and he was fine."
"I mean earlier, the mission."
Nick waved his arms. "Huh? Did I miss something?"
"I overheated."
"Right. And Hiromu cooled you down and brought you in. Did you hit him? You know he doesn't mind, no matter what he said. You know he just doesn't think before he speaks. What did he say this time? I'll get him to apolo-"
"He doesn't need to apologize."
"Are you sure?" Nick peered at his face again. "He usually does."
"I'm sure. I'm the one who hurt him."
"You keep saying that. But Hiromu won't blame you for what you did while you were overheated. He knew the risks when he went after you."
"Not this one." Ryuu shook his head. "Why am I arguing with you? I need to turn myself in to the commander."
"Whoa!" Nick leaped in the air, grabbing Ryuu's arm as he landed. "No, you need to come with me, because this is very bad."
"Let go!" Ryuu yanked on his arm, but Nick's grip just tightened. "Let go of me."
"Not until we've sorted this out."
Ryuu debated how much more trouble he'd be in if he ripped Nick's arm out of his socket. It could be fixed, after all...
Instead, he followed the Buddyroid down the hall, trying to get him to understand why he had to let go.
Nick, showing his usual sense of self-preservation, opened the door to Hiromu's room and practically tossed Ryuu inside before closing the door behind him.
Covering his eyes, Ryuu sat on the floor and wondered what other horrors the day had in store. He couldn't bring himself to stand up.
"Er...what are you doing?" Hiromu asked, sounding oddly tentative.
"Waiting for the ground to open up and swallow me."
"Why?"
Ryuu looked up and found Hiromu sitting on his bed, avoiding his eyes. "I was going to turn myself in to the commander. I'd finally gotten up the nerve and Nick dragged me here to face the person I injured."
Hiromu's head jerked and he stared at him blankly for a moment before standing up and beginning to pace. "Why in the world would you do that? I thought we'd already established that you didn't hurt me."
"You say that, but you can't even look at me!"
Hiromu turned, fists clenched. "Because I took advantage of you!"
Of all the things Hiromu could have said at that moment, that one was simply not on the radar. Ryuu's mouth opened and closed while his brain attempted a reboot. "You...but..."
"I thought I'd cooled you down. I thought you knew what we were doing. I took advantage of you while you were out of your mind." Hiromu snorted. "Some hero I am."
"But you didn't do it. I wanted you and...I pushed iyou/i down. I hurt you."
"I don't mind it rough."
Ryuu's mind rebooted again as he tried not to imagine wrestling with Hiromu on a bed. And biting him. And... He staggered to his feet, unable to take his eyes off Hiromu. "I forced you."
"Nope. Definitely not." Hiromu blinked a few times. "So if you didn't force me and I didn't force you, then..."
"Everything's okay?" Ryuu scratched his head a few times, sure there was something wrong with this logic, but unable to see what.
Slowly, Hiromu began to smile. "I'd be happy to do it again sometime if you want. You don't even have to overheat first."
Ryuu stepped forward, his own smile appearing. "I think that's the best idea you've had."
-end-