Disclaimer: This series does not belong to me. This is fanfiction that earns me no money.

Salvage

Chapter 1

Ichijou Masaki bolted upright in his cot. Fragmented memories hit him: head-splitting pain, the ground, strong men in white moving him onto a stretcher. He glanced around the nurse's tent. Panic lanced through him. "Jouji!" To his own ears, his voice was muffled.

His yell startled student patients around him. They looked at him with fearful expressions.

Masaki fisted the sheet that had pooled around his legs when he sat up. "Jouji!" He tossed the sheet away and leapt up. A wave of agony, dizziness, and intense nausea slammed into him. He fell to his knees and vomited.

Two of his classmates ran toward him.

"Masaki-kun! What're you doing?" the first boy asked. "You were badly hurt! Don't move around yet. The nurses aren't done healing you."

Sweat popped up on Masaki's face as he used all his strength not to collapse. "Jouji…need to get to Jouji." Everything was still muffled, and his left ear was ringing sharply, the sound tinny.

The two other boys took his arms and pulled him back on his feet.

"Kichijouji-kun is fine," the second boy said. "He's in—"

Masaki turned to face them sharply and needed their swift adjustments to keep him from falling. "Where? Where is he? Take me to him. Now."

The two boys traded looks.

"This way," the second boy said. "But let us help you get there."

xXx

In the next tent over, Kichijouji Shinkuro was lying flat, attempting not to move. He'd been placed in the "serious condition" tent, and the head nurse was signing a transfer form to have him moved to the base hospital. The nurse was trained in healing magic, so Jouji had received immediate help. But he still hurt. Getting hit with lightning was no small deal, after all, even if the spell hadn't been cast at Lethal Rank A level.

Even from his bed, one tent over, he heard Masaki's agonized yells. He twitched. Oh, god. Masaki! He glanced around for a nurse. He caught the attention of a tall, thin male nurse. "Let him see me," he whispered to the man. "He'll be here in a second. The boy who's yelling. He's family, so let him see me." He didn't mind lying on the technicalities; he needed Masaki. More to the point, Masaki was desperate to see him.

Moments later, Masaki staggered his way into the tent, head bent forward at a determined angle and a resolute, battlefield look in his eyes. Two classmates came with him, protesting every second of the way.

"Hey, be careful."

"You're going too fast!"

"Masaki-kun, now that you're here, you need to sit down."

Masaki's face was grayish-white. "Jouji." He locked his gaze on Jouji, ignoring the nurse, and continued to plow his way forward. Sweat shone on his forehead. He fell to his knees at the side of Jouji's bed and laid his head down on the mattress. With one hand, he took Jouji's wrist and clung to it.

A complicated array of feelings fired through Jouji: love, worry, adoration, fear. "Masaki," he murmured. He wanted to take Masaki's hand in his, but this was a public place full of people. "It's okay. I'm okay." Masaki seemed so distressed Jouji had to assume that he looked terrible. Jouji knew he felt terrible: a searing headache, an achy chest, and stinging skin that had been healed from second degree burns. Now they were first degree burns instead.

Masaki tightened his grip on Jouji's wrist. "No. It's not okay." He could barely speak. "I lost, and you— What happened to you?"

"The enemy teammate not using that weird sword CAD struck Kichijouji-kun with lightning," one classmate said. "He used ancient magic."

Masaki's heart did a strange quiver that kept him from breathing for a moment and made his whole body temporarily flash numb. He raised his head to look at Jouji's face with new horror. "You faced . . . electrocution? Because I failed?"

"It wasn't your fault!" the other classmate blurted. "They cheated! I know they did. What happened at the end there—that guy, Shiba Tatsuya . . . It wasn't normal."

At the word "normal," Masaki flinched. He would never forget the level of sheer horror he felt in the moment he'd thought he'd killed a fellow student. For a second, he hadn't even been able to breathe.

Jouji felt his features soften. "Masaki," he murmured, unable to keep the affection out of his tone despite their audience. "You didn't fail. I fought the ancient magic guy and lost." It hurt, that part. Hurt like hell. But it wasn't the point at the moment. "That Shiba guy . . . I told you from the start I sensed he had live combat experience. You two ended up evenly matched—two volunteer soldiers, I assume, fighting for real but without your full spells. But it was my responsibility to face my opponent." He said the words factually. He wasn't about to berate himself, given the circumstances. "You already saved me. I was fighting two of them at once, and one of them nearly bashed me in the head. Helmet or not, I would have had an extremely serious concussion. It doesn't matter how high-tech a helmet is. Nothing can save you from your brain bouncing off the inside of your skull. And you saved me from that."

"But you got electrocuted!" In the end, Masaki couldn't keep his voice down. "All it proves is that in a real fight I can't protect you! And that Shiba guy had no right to win!" His voice cracked.

Jouji's cheeks burned with a hot blush. A typical boy would say, 'You don't have to protect me; I can fight for myself.' Especially a boy with Jouji's abilities. But he knew perfectly well that wasn't the point at all. Masaki was his protector. Romantically. He had understood that for a long time now, even though they had never spoken of their feelings. To have Masaki nearly confess such a thing in front of so many people left him self-consciously pleased.

But that did nothing for Masaki's pain.

"You're right about that Shiba guy," Jouji said. "With his transfer from engineer to contestant, he had no right to win. Neither did his team, given none of them were entered into the competition as contestants until the very last moment, and First High had other official contestants who could have participated. But I know you can protect me."

Their two classmates exchanged clearly confused and befuddled looks with each other, then both blushed.

The head nurse came to Jouji's other side. "The ambulance will be taking you to the hospital now."

"This is my adoptive brother," Jouji said, cutting through the red tape. "He'll be coming with me."

The nurse merely nodded.

Within a few minutes, Jouji was tucked into the back of an ambulance, alone with Masaki, who knelt at his side.

Jouji took Masaki's hand this time and squeezed it. "You didn't fail."

Masaki was relieved for the relative closeness and privacy of the ambulance, as much as he was terrified of the implications of the need to take Jouji to the hospital. He squeezed Jouji's hand shakily. "How can you say that? You're too good for me." He looked away. Don't die. "I don't deserve you. I know that. But – " His gaze snapped back to Jouji's face. "But that doesn't mean I want to give you up! I want another chance." Resolution burned through him, burning off his fear, and he inhaled sharply. "I want another chance to defeat that Shiba guy, and next time I'll win."

Jouji was promptly lost. "Too good for you? Don't deserve me? I—no." He squeezed Masaki's hand again. "Beat up Shiba if you want to. Be my guest. But you don't have to do it to win me back. I'm not going anywhere." As in, ever. "I'm always going to be by your side." Whether you admit to what's happening here or not. "In my eyes, you're always the best. You're peerless."

Masaki deflated. All the emotions stuffing him until he felt like he would burst evaporated, leaving behind only calmness. He squeezed Jouji's hand and clung to it tightly, rubbing his thumb across Jouji's knuckles. "No matter what, huh?" He felt his expression soften, and for a moment, he allowed himself to take in Jouji's angelic face without self-judgment. "How long are we going to play at this 'Big Brother'/'Little Brother' stuff? When we both know…" He blinked and caught himself. I almost said it. He didn't know whether to be amazed or horrified. I know how I feel. But if Jouji doesn't say it, isn't it presumptuous? Isn't it presumptuous to assert that he could be in love with me? I can't go that far. Just because I saved him once…and that wasn't even only me.

Jouji felt the blush hit his cheeks again, stinging. If he'd been injured less, if he'd been less humiliated, he could have almost been grateful they'd lost—if it meant he got what he really wanted. But, truthfully, it was more like he was trying to salvage something decent from the experience. "When we both know we're in love with each other?" he murmured. "I'm ready to stop pretending, Masaki." Sometimes he just loved the way the syllables of Masaki's name rolled off his tongue. The kanji of Masaki's name roughly translated into "brilliant commander." You will definitely be the only commander I'll ever follow. You'll also be the only lover I ever have, if I get any say in the matter.

Masaki felt all the tension rush out of his body. A corner of his mind heard himself gasp. He draped his upper body over Jouji's, feeling lightheaded with relief and shock, and kissed Jouji's slightly parted lips.

Jouji pressed into the kiss. A short, tiny moan escaped him. He reached up with his free hand and slid it behind Masaki's shoulder blade, clutching him. Masaki, yes. In spite of the pain he was in, his body stirred faintly. Finally, he was getting what he wanted.

Masaki pressed soft kisses to Jouji's lips again and again. He squeezed Jouij's hand, the hand he still clung to, and poured himself into the kisses, baring all of his tenderness and vulnerability. In spite of the residual ringing and aching in his ears, this moment seemed almost fairytale-like. He could believe that everything might turn out all right. If he just devoted himself to Jouji completely, Jouji would be well, and he would live by Jouji's side, and they would never be parted by anything.

Jouji moaned through the kisses, his lips tingling. He knew well enough that neither one of them had kissed before, but the experience seemed natural. And intimate. His body tried to stir further.

Once Masaki paused, and their gazes met, Jouji smiled at him. "Hey, Masaki? Once I'm let out of the hospital, and we're back in our hotel room, can we continue this? I've wanted so much for so long. I don't want to have to wait any longer than possible."

A pulse went through Masaki's body and stole his breath. He stared at Jouji with wide eyes. That smile. Those words. He was wholly intimidated by what Jouji meant and also desperate to fulfill Jouji's every need. His conflicting feelings, and his own quickly rising personal need to see Jouji's bare skin and hear Jouji's moans, made him aware that his face was burning.

He nodded.

Jouji relaxed. "Now I have every reason to recover as quickly as possible."

Masaki's promise and Masaki's love allowed Jouji to slip into a light doze. After all, he honestly did believe that with Masaki by his side, he was perfectly safe.

xXx

Jouji was hospitalized overnight and ordered to maintain bed rest until his school departed from the competition. He promised the doctor he would stay in bed. He didn't promise the doctor he would rest.

Masaki and Jouji returned to their hotel room mid-afternoon. A few students had paid for private rooms; most students had opted to share. Masaki and Jouji had no trouble sharing a room, so they had. Now Jouji was particularly grateful for that fact.

They entered their room, and Masaki closed the curtains. The afternoon sunlight peeked around the edges, so they could still see. But the glare was gone, and their privacy was secured.

Jouji hovered by the foot of his bed, staring down at the corner of the mattress. He felt the blush of anticipation on his cheeks, and he felt the little smile pinned to his lips. "Hey, Masaki, we're all alone now. And everyone else is out at this time of day. No one is around to . . . hear things."

Masaki blushed and trembled with the force of his desires and nervousness, as well as the reality of being in a room alone with Jouji now that this had happened. "Uh-huh." Jouji's smile, equal parts shyness and sly anticipation, made Masaki feel especially covert. People used to do this all the time. In hotel rooms, away from their families.

Masaki walked up to Jouji and wrapped his arms around Jouji from behind, clinging. He couldn't help but smell the sweet and subtle perfume of Jouji's natural scent. He found himself nestling his face against Jouji's neck. The skin was soft and warm. "What things would they hear if they were here?" he whispered.

Jouji hadn't expected to feel Masaki nuzzling the back of his neck. He moaned, his body burning with immediate arousal. The skin there seemed highly sensitive, and even this slight touch caused him a powerful reaction. He was half hard already. A delayed shiver ran down his spine. "Ah, moaning," he gasped, well aware of the irony of his reply. His felt his heart thumping. "Masaki, would you kiss there?"

Masaki stroked Jouji's abdomen slowly with both hands as he pressed gentle, exploring kisses to Jouji's neck. He knew the way he was standing Jouji could feel his clothed hardness where it brushed against him. "I love you," he whispered.

Jouji gasped sharply at the kisses. The skin on the nape of his neck seemed hypersensitive, and he moaned deeply, little shudders of arousal shooting through his body. So powerful! What is this? He was fully hard now, aching, leaking. He could feel Masaki hard against him, too. "I love you," he gasped, breathless. He ran his hands over Masaki's arms. The way Masaki caressed just below his waist only made him more aroused. "Oh, god . . . "

Masaki shivered at Jouji's softly emphatic exclamation. "Does it feel good?" He had a sudden need to hear Jouji spell it out. He continued softly stroking Jouji's abdomen, letting his hands drift below Jouji's bellybutton. He mouthed Jouji's neck and even dared to taste Jouji's skin with the tip of his tongue. Lewd. His personal resolution not to do any of these things with Jouji had been built on that word. That idea. The idea that if he approached Jouji this way he would be wrong. He needed Jouji to tell him in words to let go. Love is one thing, but this is lust…right? He tightened his arms around Jouji and swayed Jouji against him faintly. But I need you. I've been dreaming about you for three years. Please tell me it's all right.

Jouji felt Masaki's shiver, and it only aroused him more. Then Masaki was massaging lower, and his tongue flicked against the skin covering Jouji's vertebrae. He cried out softly. "Y-yes." Having to say that made him blush harder, made him more aroused. His nipples flashed hard, and he felt himself leaking helplessly. It seemed a crime, suddenly, that he had clothes on. He hadn't bothered to button his uniform's coat or vest, given they were just going back to their room. He took advantage of that by grabbing two fistfuls of his shirt and tugging it free of his pants. He yanked the material upward until Masaki's hands found his bare skin.

Masaki moaned and buried his face against Jouji's neck, caressing Jouji's bare abdomen and curving his fingers over the tops of his pelvic bones. He mouthed, licked, and gently sucked Jouji's neck. "I want to do…things." The admission caused another shiver to cascade down his spine. His clothed hardness throbbed.

"Oh, god!" The cry wasn't much more than a breathless gasp; Jouji was so aroused his throat had constricted. He could feel Masaki's erection pulsing because of the way their bodies were pressed together. Masaki's lips and tongue on the nape of his neck left his entire body pounding with arousal. Part of him desperately wanted Masaki to slip his hands down his pants. "W-what things?" he whispered, his mind showing him dozens of images of things he'd seen in manga but had never done himself.

"Things…that…" Masaki slipped his fingertips under the waistband of Jouji's pants. The belt held the pants tightly against Jouji's hips. He found himself unbuckling and loosening Jouji's belt so that he could inch down Jouji's pants and expose the top of Jouji's boxers. "Well…" He lapped at Jouji's neck with long licks, moaning faintly and wondering how he was ever supposed to speak what was on his mind when he was so sure that it was out of the question. This wasn't an ero-manga. This was real life, and they were first year students. Regardless of whether we're a boy and a boy or a boy and a girl, we'll be harshly punished if we're caught doing anything like what I want to do.

Masaki prayed they would be left alone and slipped his hands inside Jouji's boxers, stroking the tops of Jouji's inner thighs. "What if…I get down on my knees?"

Jouji's mind seemed to stutter. For a moment, he was too shocked to speak. Does he mean he wants to . . . use his mouth on me? He felt a hot shiver race through his body. At Masaki's hands slipping inside his underwear, his erection ached, and he felt the wet spot on his boxers growing. "I, ah—" His heart seemed to skip. The idea of Masaki doing something so intimate—something that had to feel so incredibly wonderful—made him faintly dizzy. "Yes. W-whatever you want."

Masaki slowly shifted around to Jouji's front. He pushed Jouji's pants and boxers down as he knelt. I want to worship you. He looked up at Jouji and sought out Jouji's gaze. I want to be your knight. He stroked Jouji's bared thighs and waited for a sign that Jouji was ready to let him do this. It was a big first commitment to make, and he steeled himself for Jouji getting too nervous and backing out.

Jouji steadied himself by bracing his hands on Masaki's shoulders. He felt such a high level of anticipation that he had to remind himself to inhale. Having Masaki see his erection made him wildly self-conscious; at the same time, it teased him with added arousal, especially with his pants around his knees. If we do this . . . right up front, as our first thing . . . He took in Masaki's questioning expression and nodded. No, I want this. I've loved you for three solid years now. I've been at your side for three solid years now. I want to lose myself in this moment. "Yes. Please, do it."

Masaki tilted his head and gazed at Jouji's glistening erection, beautifully curved and exposed. He gave it a long lick, slowly tracing it with his tongue the way he had Jouji's neck. Then he moaned and closed his eyes as he allowed himself to lick Jouji's tip and close his lips around it, mouthing. He didn't know how an experienced person would do oral, and he didn't care. All he cared about was finally getting to act on his desires. He stroked Jouji's thighs with his hands as he continued to lick and mouth Jouji's hot, damp erection. His legs quivered, and he had to tighten his muscles to remain kneeling. His own erection throbbed and burned.

Jouji clung to Masaki's shoulders with all his strength. If not for that, he would have collapsed. The feeling of Masaki's tongue licking up him and then over him had been so acutely pleasurable that he couldn't even whimper. Then Masaki's mouth closed around him, soft and hot and wet. A long, low cry escaped from Jouji as intense pleasure shockwaved through his body. Paired with that was Masaki's look of sheer and utter bliss. Jouji felt like a nature spirit that someone was paying tribute to—adored and honored. "Ma-Masaki!" A shudder snapped down his spine. "Oh, god." It felt so good that tears burnt his eyes.

Masaki panted and swirled his tongue around Jouji, lapping and tasting and cherishing. "Don't – Don't you see?" he whispered between licks. "This is the way it is." He looked up into Jouji's eyes and then took Jouji with his lips. He slid Jouji halfway into his mouth. The feeling was like sheathing. Protection. Hiding Jouji inside his mouth, soft skin against soft skin, made his entire being vibrate. He felt low level magic seeping out of his skin, but he couldn't control it and suck on Jouji, so he left it alone.

So much pleasure slammed through Jouji that he thought he could faint. His weight shifted forward onto his hands, his grip on Masaki's shoulders once again ensuring he stayed on his feet. The movement accidentally caused another inch of his erection to slide inside of Masaki's mouth. The feeling of such wet heat surrounding him, the sensation of Masaki sucking on him, made him cry out again and again, his moans filling their room. Half of him was desperate to close his eyes, but he just couldn't. Masaki had looked at him with such intense devotion that Jouji's entire being seemed to sink into the love. And then, when Jouji was sure the experience couldn't get any more powerful, he saw the blue-white psions floating upward off of Masaki's skin. Masaki glowed with it; it created a halo around his entire body.

"M-Masaki . . ." Jouji gasped, trying to catch his breath. He'd never seen anything as beautiful as this, never experienced anything as beautiful as this. "I can't—I can't—" He couldn't last much longer this way. He blushed trying to get the words out.

Masaki cupped the underside of Jouji's erection with his tongue and took Jouji into his mouth as deeply as he would go. He sucked on all of Jouji, quivering with desperation that he should come inside of him. His nose nestled on soft skin just above Jouji's erection. He clung to Jouji's bottom with both hands, sealing them together as tightly as he could. I need this. Come in me. Please.

When Masaki took him in fully, Jouji wailed. Then Masaki's hands slipped around behind him, cupping his bottom and then holding him still. The instant Masaki's hands touched his skin, Jouji fell silent, his pleasure shooting so high he couldn't make sound anymore. His entire body snapped taut, his lower back arching and his head falling back. Little quivers ran through him. He could feel Masaki's breath against his skin; he felt utterly trapped into the consuming devotion of Masaki's passion.

Then Jouji's hips gave a tiny pulse, and he inhaled sharply as he came. At first he still couldn't make a sound, and then he wailed again.

Masaki swallowed, and then swallowed again until the floral taste of Jouji's orgasm coated his mouth. His head spun, and he collapsed into a sitting position, bringing Jouji down with him to straddle his lap. He hugged Jouji closely, panting. "You're – You're wonderful," he managed to gasp out. He stroked Jouji's hair. The psions clouding the air all around him sank into Jouji's skin when they made contact. He had no idea what was happening. After all, he hadn't cast a spell. His body was just emitting raw energy.

Jouji sank into Masaki's embrace, feeling surrounded by him. Not only was he in Masaki's arms, but also Masaki's essence wrapped around him through the psions. Jouji thought it was beautiful beyond words. "I'm wonderful?" he murmured, his awe lacing his voice. "If that's so, then you're magnificent." He rested his head on Masaki's shoulder.

After a minute of floating, his body pulsing with aftershocks of pleasure, Jouji realized that in some people's eyes, Masaki and he had consummated their transformed relationship. "Boyfriend," he whispered. "Lover. I refuse to ever leave your side."

Masaki clung to Jouji tightly, cupping the back of Jouji's head. "Please don't," he murmured tenderly. "If you do, I will die." He felt a pulse inside his chest like a small electrical shock.

"If you leave mine, I will die," Jouji said, tone grim with his conviction. Then he relaxed in Masaki's embrace. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I have to rest now. I don't have my stamina back. But I will take care of you, Masaki." The idea of returning the favor and listening to Masaki moan left Jouji feeling warm.

Masaki lifted Jouji in his arms as he stood up. He laid Jouji down on the bed gently, helping him get comfortable. He clung to Jouji's hand and kissed it. "Don't worry about it. I know you will. You'd never let any kind of imbalance between us stand." He sat down on the bed beside Jouji. "For now, just focus on recovering. I have your back."

Jouji smiled and squeezed Masaki's hand. "I know you do. I trust you. Always."