Title: All The King's Men
Fandom: 07-Ghost
Pairing(s): Ayanami and Hyuuga
Warnings: Blatant kissing. Mentions of the conversation in chapter 26.
Synopsis: He was king to a memory of an old ghost.
"Are you the king...?"
Even with his back to him, Ayanami could feel Hyuuga's piercing gaze on him. His hand curled into a fist, gloved fingers digging against the fabric as he forced down the rising memory.
"I... am not a king."
That cold tone betrayed no emotion, held no warmth and brooked no argument.
His gaze travelled out towards the newly conquered kingdom, aware that Hyuuga's trained eye was still watching him. The memory of him would never go away, no matter how much he shut away the image of that ebony hair and clear glasses, even though the pain had started to fade.
Quiet footfalls echoed behind him. Ayanami did not even bother turning around to see who it was. There was only one other person who would approach him like that, with footfalls as light as snow and a carefree attitude of a swallow in spring.
Ayanami allowed himself a small smirk.
"Nostalgic again, Aya-tan?"
Hyuuga came to a stop just behind Ayanami, his taller frame shielding Ayanami from some of the bitter cold. Shielding him from the wind howling around them, nipping at any exposed skin. It was cold again, this time of the year, especially at Antwort.
The biting chill was almost as sharp as the memories locked away in his frozen heart.
"There is no place for the past on the battlefield."
It was the howling winds that seemingly swallowed Ayanami's brief answer, catching the words and letting the vast white swallow it in its entirety. But Hyuuga had heard him, watching as those cold violet eyes had somehow seemed a little less frozen, as if reminiscing of times long past.
Abruptly, Ayanami turned, striding back towards the airship.
Hyuuga only grinned, following after his superior, hands behind his head as he walked. There was something on Ayanami's mind, and Hyuuga had a feeling he knew what it was.
* * *
The only sound in the now vacant bridge was the sound of his boots, echoing hollowly in the empty space. A grin curled the corners on Hyuuga's mouth, as he approached the seemingly empty seat before him.
One of the big cats perked its ears at his approach, but did not move from its spot at its master's feet. Seated almost regally in the single chair on the vacant bridge, Ayanami looked the part of a lone king, the cold, distant star reigning over a forgotten people, his eyes half-lidded and shadowed under the brim of his cap.
Hyuuga leaned against the chair, a lollipop in his mouth.
"Aya-tan's being antisocial again."
Ayanami did not respond to his subordinate's words. Even though it seemed like he was asleep, Hyuuga knew better. He knew exactly what Ayanami was capable of, and times like these only meant he was either gathering information by means of a wayward creature of darkness, or simply lost in thought.
Hyuuga grinned, leaning in close to his superior, studying his somewhat distracted violet eyes. His gloved hand reached up, trailing a finger down the man's cheek. When Ayanami did not respond, the dark-haired swordsman leaned in slightly, pressing his lips against his.
That certainly did get his attention.
Those frozen crystals immediately focused, boring straight into Hyuuga's shaded crimson as the swordsman pulled away. Hyuuga always tasted like blood and death masked with caramel and apples, a cold-blooded killer under the ever-smiling face.
"What, exactly, do you think you're doing?"
The Chief of Staff never indulged in any affection, even to the few whom cared about him, especially in locations the man considered public, although Hyuuga often was allowed some measure of physical contact in the office.
"Kissing you."
Cold violet eyes narrowed, eyeing Hyuuga with something akin to suspicion. If this had been any normal day, Hyuuga would most likely have found himself at the receiving end of Ayanami's long, coiled whip, an end which he was extremely familiar with, and for once, he was glad that Ayanami seemed to be more tolerant today.
Perhaps it was the thrill of being walked in upon on the bridge of the command ship which made Hyuuga grin, leaning forward again and stealing a quick kiss from his stoic superior. But the silver-haired man turned slightly, leaning away from his cheeky subordinate.
A glare from those chilly violet orbs made it clear that Hyuuga was to back off, but Hyuuga, once he had set his mind on it, would absolutely not back down until he had gotten what he wanted.
"Aya-tan, you're being mean."
Ayanami had long since learnt to ignore the pout on his subordinate's face, one he would use when he didn't get what he wanted. But he couldn't ignore the sudden shadow of Hyuuga's lanky frame, wiry arms bracing his lean form over Ayanami's.
"What is it this time, Hyuuga?"
The only answer to his question was a hard, insistent kiss against his lips. It drew an involuntary gasp from Ayanami, his fingers reaching up, gripping the front of Hyuuga's uniform, but he didn't push his subordinate away.
With one hand still braced against the high-backed chair, Hyuuga reached down with his free hand, tugging open the heavy overcoat to expose a half-buttoned shirt and pale throat beneath. His violet-eyed superior was still seated in the chair, now watching him from behind half-lidded eyes, looking as if he were calculating Hyuuga's next move. Crimson eyes flashed, a smirk gracing the man's lips before he leaned down, teeth against bare skin, only pulling away when he had left a deep red mark against the ivory expanse of flesh.
Before Hyuuga could make a smart retort, those fingers that had the front of his uniform in a tight grasp yanked forward, forcing him to come face to face with violet ice and silver hair. His lips curled into a grin, studying the calm expression on Ayanami's pale face.
The soft, almost territorial growl that issued from Ayanami's throat betrayed the man's cold exterior as he rose from the chair, pushing Hyuuga's hands off the chair. It was as if watching a predator rise from its hiding place, slow, graceful, and absolutely lethal.
Rarely was Ayanami this dominant when it came to being intimate.
"Aya-tan's being forceful today."
Around their feet, the great cats which always accompanied the Chief of Staff prowled restlessly, as if anxious at the man who seemed to be challenging their master's power. But Ayanami seemed less concerned, one hand resting against Hyuuga's chest, power pulsing in those slender fingers of his, violet eyes boring against shaded crimson.
"Have you forgotten where we are?"
His voice was low, predatory, echoing on the empty bridge. Even with his coat unbuttoned, exposing the angry red mark on his pale skin, Ayanami could look intimidating with those icy violet crystals set in carved ivory.
Slender, gloved fingers curled and tugged on ebony locks of hair, forcing the taller swordsman down, lips pressing against his in a show of dominance which was next to unheard of from the stoic Chief of Staff. Then came a brief flare of pain as Hyuuga felt Ayanami's teeth come down hard against his lip, and the man almost gasped at the taste of copper in his mouth.
It was the taste of that overpowering caramel and metal that drove the old ghosts out of his mind, the man's callused grip pulling him back to the present.
Hyuuga was almost breathless, his lip now stained crimson, when those fingers let go of him, but he still managed a grin as he pulled away.
The scent of blood only seemed to agitate the big cats even further, one of them twining its lean, muscular form around Ayanami's legs in a bid to gain his attention. The action was futile, its master's attention was now almost fully focused on the taller, sunglasses-wearing swordsman standing before him.
"But Aya-tan, there's no-one around. Besides, what was all that about? You were completely lost in thought."
It was as if the ice that had momentarily thawed around the frigid man froze once more, as Ayanami drew away, once more a distant, cold star. He would never reveal anything; Ayanami would always be a that lonely king on a far-off throne, never allowing anyone to get close.
Hyuuga wiped the blood off his lips, leaving a single red streak against his white gloves, smirking. He knew he would not get a reply from Ayanami, the man would never speak of the past, always bearing it alone on that rigid back.
The silver-haired object of his attentions had already retreated to the chair, his now-agitated pets growling and pacing around their master. Ayanami looked a little more dishevelled than usual, coat open and exposing his now-marked throat, lips slightly bruised and swollen, stained with fast-drying blood.
Their eyes met, both daring the other to push the limit; it was a game that neither would win. Before either could do anything, there came a sharp rap which echoed sharply in the room, breaking the spell that bound them.
"Ayanami-sama."
Both violet and crimson eyes narrowed, the latter's gaze coming to rest on a single soldier standing at attention in the doorway, a hand raised in salute. Hyuuga grinned, acting as if nothing was wrong at all, waving almost jovially to the soldier, an indication for the man to come forward.
Ayanami's gloved fingers were already returning the uniform to its previously pristine condition, but Hyuuga's sharp eyes could pick out the little creases in the crisp black fabric where his own hands had grasped at it. The smirk that briefly graced his features was entirely missed by the soldier, who stopped just behind the chair and saluted again.
"Speak."
Cold as always.
"The preparations are ready, sir. All battalions are ready to return to base."
The nod that acknowledged the news was almost imperceptible. Beside him, Hyuuga pouted slightly, leaning against the chair as a single wave of Ayanami's gloved hand dismissed the soldier. The moment the soldier was out of sight, he reached down, catching hold of Ayanami's cheek, forcing violet eyes to look at him, lips pressed against his in an hungry kiss.
This time, Hyuuga wouldn't get away so easily.
The shove that pushed him away was more ruthless this time, his eyes cold and unmoving. But even those frozen orbs could barely intimidate the Major, who merely grinned back at his icy superior. Behind them, the clatter of boots signaled the arrival of the bridge crew.
"We will settle this later."
His tone brooked no argument, violet clashing with crimson as if daring the man to challenge him, something only Hyuuga did on a regular basis. But even Hyuuga was not foolish enough to try anything in front of an audience, doing that was akin to a death sentence.
"If you say so, Aya-tan."
He could hear the retreating footsteps, but the swordsman's presence still lingered around, Hyuuga would never completely back off. He had promised, and there he would be, watching Ayanami's back, a smiling guardian to a lonely king in an ice cold wasteland. In this ice cold wasteland.
A fleeting memory of black hair and clear glasses flashed through his mind again, a soft echo dulled by time, a relic of the past that he had almost let go of.
"Your king is dead."
Ayanami's voice was soft, his eyes shadowed by the brim of his cap, the words tumbling off his tongue in a language few spoke. He spoke to a ghost, a figment that belonged in the cold snow and hard earth, to someone who had long since left his side. A memory of the past that continued to linger in his mind, just as how the taste of a certain crimson-eyed swordsman's lingered on his lips.
The Chief of Staff felt a hand on his shoulder, the reassuring weight merely drawing a smirk from him. There was no need to turn to see the owner of said hand, in the entire Barsburg empire, only one man dared to do that openly without the fear of being decapacitated almost instantly.
Hyuuga may not have understood the language, but the man was certainly perceptive enough to understand him.
"But all the king's men are waiting."
In the distance, Ayanami caught sight of the empire's flag on the castle's ramparts, ebony and gold against the ivory landscape.