Sora knew something was wrong the instant he had landed square on his feet. (Or so he wanted to believe but his foot had bent and his perfect landing was ruined.) Pain had shot through his right foot- ankle. He hadn't stuck the landing and he mentally cursed.
(This is what he gets for trying to be showy and perform tricks like Yuya. Trying to jump around an action field was easy, doing so while also attempting to do a flip while being in synch with a monster was much more difficult. Even in practice and trying to visualize everything going on, it wasn't easy to pull of such stunts.)
He hisses to the pain and is glad that no one is around to see him fall ungracefully to his butt, carefully trying not to move his right leg at all costs. He takes back his last thought and now wishes that someone was around. He could bat his big eyes, sport those crocodile tears, and definitely over exaggerate on the pain. He'd be well taken cared for, after all, who could resist wanting to help a cute kid (or young adult when he's not trying to act) in pain?
The fusion duelist lets out a soft sigh as he begins to remove his shoe, his sock following. He winces to the removal and sticks out his tongue to the sight. He was nearly expecting something more...disgusting, but his foot looks fine aside from some slight swelling.
Now what is he supposed to do, he wonders. The boy just sits back, trying to keep his injury up, refusing to let it hit the grass underneath him. Sora realizes that he should be moving, to get back to his current residence in this dimension. If he doesn't soon, he's going to end up missing dinner (and if he does he'll end up being scolded and have to use his deceitfully innocent act to get out of it, which isn't a problem).
Shrugging to himself, the boy figures that maybe he could try to move, stand first then walk. No one is going to come and help him anyway. (Even while in this famous park he just had to pick the more secluded area to practice his moves to show off for the next tournament. No one was around to catch a glimpse of him and he refused to cry out in a pathetic plea for help.)
Sora takes in a breath, mentally telling himself this injury isn't that bad. He's been through worse, seen worse, hell he could have broken his foot rather than just sprained it. So, he makes sure his weight is shifted to his left side as he pushes himself off the ground. There he stands on one foot, slowly his injured foot lowers to the ground. The moment any type of weight is pushed onto it, pain strikes again, surging throughout his body. He yelps and falls back down on his rear. Now he pouts in annoyance.
"Stupid ankle..." He mumbles.
"I should have known you would have been here."
"Ah-!" Sora nearly jumps (he would have jumped to his feet if he weren't hurt) to the voice. No one was supposed to be here. "Shun?" Of course it had to be him to come to his aid. "What are you doing here?"
The other boy towers before him, arms crossed as he looks down to the smaller boy. His gaze drifts from Sora to his exposed foot. He could already guess what the other had been doing and a disappointed look forms on his face.
"I told you not to be trying acrobatics unless if you're with someone," he states, anger just peeking through in his voice. This wasn't the first time he had warned the fusion duelist not to practice alone. Getting injured, just like this, was the main reason he gave Sora a warning. But when did he ever decide to listen to his words? (Next time, he tells himself, he'll just tell Sora to do the opposite, figuring reverse psychology might work on him.)
"But if I did then someone would end up wanting to steal my ideas!" Sora argues back, his pout returning. It's a rather cute pout, but it's charm has little effect on Shun.
"This isn't the Pendulum Dimension," Shun retorts. Even if the Xyz Dimension was aware of Action Duels, not many were trained to pull of such intense stunts.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Sora rolls his eyes to that comment. "Anyway, you can go now."
Shun didn't react to that, simply staying in his spot. He couldn't believe Sora was just shooing him away while he was in this state. In another time, he would have been more than happy to leave him here, let him call out for someone else (or even do worse to him), but things had changed, he had changed, they both had.
"I said you could go, birdbrain," Sora repeated. It was pointless, he knew. Shun had been the last person Sora wanted to find him like this. Injured and actually needing some type of help to pull off the simple action of standing. He didn't want to look so weak and pathetic in front of him. Ever.
(He used to be strong and unstoppable before him, looking vulnerable to him made him feel smaller than usual. He didn't like the feeling. And it may have been more than just that, he was worrying the other, being a nuisance. Sora was trying his best to be more pleasant, to be more acceptable around Shun.)
"If I leave, then how are you going to?" Shun asked, a slight smirk tugging at his lips.
"I'll...I'll hop home if I have to!"
"You'll hurt yourself like that. You need my help."
"And what are you going to do? Carry me all the way home?"
It's supposed to be a sarcastic reply and it is. It's not supposed to be taken seriously. Shun would never consider it, he thinks. It confuses him when the motionless birdbrain begins to take a step forward, kneel slightly beside him and with ease lift the smaller male into his arms.
"Hey, wait! I-I didn't mean you actually had to carry me!" Sora sputters out as he's being held in his arms like some kind of bride. He's kicking his injured leg in the air (regretting doing so as it just hurts even more), squirming in his grasp and trying to wiggle out of it, but the taller male has a tight hold on him. He knows he's been captured and is definitely not being released anytime soon.
"Stop squirming before I drop you," Shun threatens. They both know he won't. He's too nice, too kind, even if he won't admit it (and his usual angry resting face say otherwise).
"Fine." Sora's movements come to a halt as arguing was useless. He turns his head away, not wanting the other to end up seeing his flaring cheeks. This was embarrassing. Being held in such strong arms, having to rest against the other's coated chest. Being pampered with his charm is always welcomed, but whenever his ex-enemy had shown him kindness it always felt...different. And he could never figure out if he could label it as a good or bad kind of different.
He doesn't even realize when they had started moving, mind too busy trying to figure things out, heart beating far too loudly in that small chest of his. The scenery had changed from Heartland's park to the more industrial sections, a bright city that looked as if it never were completely destroyed in the first place. Green hues glance around the area, though always seem to find their way back to Shun. (It's awkward to look up at him this close. Their faces are too close and Sora can't maneuver away if they get any closer.)
"You're quiet," Shun observes, lime hues glancing down and locking with his. It's only for a few seconds and Sora is the one to break off their eye contact.
"It hurts, okay?" He replied in a quick huff. The pain is there, taunting him. It just hurts and he wants to get rid of the feeling, but it seems to disappear when his thoughts return to Shun. (Was he helping cure his little problem somehow? Maybe he's just getting used to the pain now.)
"Ruri will help take care of you."
"What?" Sora gives him a confused look. Why her? Not that he had a problem with his sister taking care of him. No, she was sweet and gentle person, another one who easily fell for his adorable appearance. He could definitely eat up all the attention she'd give in a heartbeat. But that's not what he wanted.
"You heard me."
"No! That's not how this works!" Sora raises a hand, lightly banging it against the other's chest. "You found me like this, so it's your duty to take care of me. You know what they say, don't you? Finders keepers."
"That doesn't apply to this," Shun huffs out, closing his eyes and shaking his head to his childish reasoning.
"It totally does!" If it didn't, he'd make up a new rule to say it does. Maybe Shun would go along with it, he was injured after all and that had to give him some leverage. "You found me, so now you have to take care of me." The grin that forms after saying that is mischievously cute.
Shun lets out an annoyed huff, not bothering to give him another glance. He tells himself that he's not going to deal with him, just leave him be and let Ruri deal with this kid's injury. The Xyz duelist makes the mistake of glancing down to him and seeing the expectant look on his face. There's a quiet pause and he hopes he doesn't regret what he's about to say.
"If I help you, the next time you try to do your acrobatic practicing, I have to accompany you."
"Seriously?" Sora narrows his eyes. Shun is doing this so that he can keep an eye on him, so this doesn't happen again, and the injured male is fully aware of it. He sighs, defeatedly, but quickly perks up. He'd have to sacrifice some privacy but in the end, he got what he wanted. "Then you better take care of me as if your life depends on it."
another prompt from the-modern-typewriter on tumblr
