Oneshot – Tickles
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Yuuri looks really frustrated. He puts the palm of his hand to his face and rubs it. We've already spent a large part of the afternoon here, trying to play that game he loves so much.
—No, not like that, Wolfram!
—Don't get desperate! What's wrong now? This can't be so complicated!
—But you're holding it incorrectly again!
—It's just a stupid stick, how is it possible to hold it wrongly?
—It's not stupid! You don't understand anything...
No, in fact I don't understand anything. I can't understand this game, even if Yuuri loves it with all his heart. It means nothing to me.
They use a big stick, a glove and a ball. Then they follow the rules to take their positions in the field, and play with these things. I've already read about that, it wasn't so hard to get the idea, no matter what he asked me about the positions or the details, I was able to remember everything perfectly. I was able to impress him, but it was easy, there was nothing so hard to learn.
Except holding the stick. It seems it's much more complicated than I'm able to understand. I have no idea what the correct position is.
I'm standing sideways at the batter's position, and I have to look towards the pitcher and hit the ball before the catcher can get a hold of it. Yuuri is playing as pitcher, even when he said his favorite position is catcher. We haven't any more people, we're alone in the field. That's why he ended up in that position, or at least he was there, because now he insists that I'm holding the bat incorrectly and I don't know how to... swing it?, so he came to the batter home to try and fix it.
How difficult can it be to stand here and hold the stick to hit the ball?
—You don't have to get angry at me.
—Okay —he says with his arms folded over his chest. He's thinking. This isn't working, I can't play baseball with him after all. I can imagine he's going to say that he prefers to go back to the castle, he'll do better with Weller for sure, that man's also a baseball fan and he knows how to play. —Let's just try throwing and catching.
I was wrong, he doesn't look angry anymore. He looks happy checking the globes at the box, taking them one by one, touching and turning them around in his hands. I'm glad he didn't want to stop.
—This is the best one, here. I can use this other one that's not bad either, but I prefer you have the best because I'm already used to them and I can use any one, but you're a beginner.
—T-thanks.
Don't try to win over me with your weird praises, Yuuri. I'm still upset because you screamed at me just a moment ago, you can't change your mood just like that, it's not appropriate.
But I know even if I said that he won't listen, even if I try to get him to change, he's not going to do it. He's still wimpy and naive and trusting, and he's still going to town or other places without bodyguards. We shouldn't even be here alone, but there's nothing I can do about that, I knew he would come. I would rather him do it with me if he's going to do it anyways.
He looks so happy, smiling broadly while he waves the hand with the ball. There's at least five meters of distance between him and me. He asks me if I'm ready and I reply yes, he throws the ball, I catch it with the glove. It feels weird to catch something with this thick thing covering my hand, but it's not difficult to do. He's glad, he praises me. I throw the ball back.
He's having fun.
If he has fun, everyone else around him will end up having fun too. It's inevitable, it's his personal charm that very few are able to understand. However, you don't need to think too much about it, Yuuri's just like that. He's cute and cheerful, that's why people feel caught up in his good mood.
He's the kind of person that you want to always see happy. Of course I want that too, but I know it's not possible.
He came here to work as the Maou, something decided by the almighty Shinou, so he'll need to face a lot of things from now on. For my brother and I, our first impression was that he's simply an idiot, that he didn't suit the position. But once you get attached to him, the only thing you want is to watch over his safety. I would be glad if he was always happy, but sadly he won't be able to remain innocent. He needs to face difficult situations on his own, and even if he counts on our help, he'll get hurt in the process for sure. Even if I have to let him suffer to learn, I'll be always there to give him a shoulder to cry on. That's the only thing I can do, besides protecting him with my life if necessary.
He screams and waves at me, running around. He's full of energy, he asks me to throw the ball to the other side and far away to make it more difficult.
Despite the things he has lived through, he still maintains his essence. That's what makes him so different and draws people towards him. Yuuri's a good person, that's why everyone loves him. The people of the kingdom have been able to recognize that too, and that makes us calm. He's fair, nice, and even if he's clumsy, he's a good king.
Each ball he throws makes me move more, running further to catch it. One of them is too high, he thinks I won't be able to catch it, but I'm in the mood for a demonstration of my military training. I jump towards it, rolls on the floor and I'm just in time to receive it. He should see the stupid face he's making now, looking so surprised.
He runs towards me, looking agitated after that move. He still needs better training, he can easily get tired like that.
—That was awesome! —he says when he gets a hold of his breath.
I smile and give him back the ball.
—It was fun, right? I think you're not suited for a batter, or maybe you still haven't discovered your secret talent. But you would be an excellent short stop or second base! With these abilities anyone would want you on their team. Ah! Right! Why don't you join my team in Shin Makoku?
—Mmmh, I'll think about it, maybe I can.
—That would be great!
He talks to me excitedly about the team, he tries to convince me that I should join no matter what and play the games with them. I know I'm going to do it anyways, but I let him talk because I like to see him so interested in me.
Because besides being Shin Makoku's Maou, Yuuri is also my fiance.
If there's someone who truly appreciates all his facets, that's me for sure. Well, Günter's devotion is questionable. But I'm still his fiance, not him, so I have the right to say that I'm the one who cares the most about him.
But even if we have this bond that joins us, Yuuri's still playing a fool, refusing to recognize my position. He says everything was a misunderstanding, he tried to explain it to me many times. Yuuri, I get it. But I don't want you to know, because it's better for me that way. Otherwise he would end everything, and when I said that would ruin my reputation and hurt my pride I was saying the truth. It's complicated to think about him taking back his proposal, or me rejecting it. Beyond all that, I'm comfortable like this. Even if it's hard to admit it, this rookie captivated me.
I like him. He's not just a pretty face, the kind of man that has full confidence in his appearance and takes advantage of it. At first I thought he was going to be one of those, anyone would have that impression the first time facing him. But Yuuri's not like that at all. Although I can't believe he would reach the other side of the line in modesty, it's weird that he considers himself not attractive at all and even insists that's how people see him in that other world. I've seen people from there, and it's true that all soukokus are captivating and many humans were very attractive, but Yuuri's still handsome.
Maybe it's that I have become too faithful to my fiance, and that's why no matter how beautiful other soukokus are, it won't affect me. I don't know.
Physically speaking, he has a refined face, his black eyes are out of the ordinary, but so is their shape. They're slightly slanted and that makes him pleasant to look at. He says that's a characteristic of the Asian race, but like I said, I've seen other people like him and it's not the same. Yuuri looks better, his gaze is wide and sweet, full of energy. His black hair draws my attention, not only because of its deep color and shine but also the silkiness of it. And when you touch it it's like you have nothing in your hands, it's so thin and straight it slips between your fingers. About everything else, he's very similar to me a few years ago. Comparing him with myself right now, he's at the same height but he's skinnier. If he would put more effort into his training we'll be almost identical, his physical complexion is very similar to mine.
But his charm doesn't reside in his exterior. Just with that he wouldn't be able to impress me.
He hands me a drink from the little icebox we brought while smiling. He takes his cold bottle and places it on top of his forehead, sitting in the stands and stretching in a too comfortable position. That's what I was talking about.
Even if he has a bad side, like his lack of etiquette and a vulgar mouth, his foolishness attracts me. He can talk openly about whatever he wants, and he always says what he's thinking no matter what it is, his opinions are straight and sincere. Yuuri doesn't care about titles or social status, and even if that's a pain sometimes that's what caught my attention in the first place. If he weren't like that, I wouldn't hesitate to null this engagement from the start. I can't stand a bad person just because he looks nice.
I have met people who didn't care that much about my social standing in my life, but no one like him. I'm ashamed to say it was a rookie like him who put me in my place once. Similar to my brothers, I've also had difficult times, but since Yuuri's here I've noted a change in me, even if no one would point it out. Yuuri opened my mind abut many things and also made me realize I was wrong about many others. We still have some disagreements, but we can't agree on everything. And like I know when to admit I'm wrong, I also know when I'm right.
Moments like this with Yuuri are the ones I treasure the most.
He bumps my arm with his elbow and I almost let my drink slip. I ignore him. When he does it again I move to a side and he chases me by pushing the bottle with his hand again. He laughs, looking at my face and the bottle, waiting for me to drink so he can keep playing this game. He only wants to bother me, sometimes he becomes this playful and he does these kind of things. At first I didn't understand it, but it seems this is the way they play in that world.
I remember one of the first times he did something like this to me. I didn't understand and got mad without reason. Some time passed until he tried again. When I saw him doing the same with Weller and my brother playing back I started to get the idea. I have to admit I felt jealous of that relationship, and also a little sad he didn't try again with me. But it was my fault anyways.
Now I know how to get along with him. I laugh and look at him without saying anything, I'm also waiting. To win this time I need to drink, every game we play has some sort of rules that we made up in the moment. I wait, and when I think I have an opportunity I take the bottle to my lips, he tries to reach to it but I stop him. I think I'm about to do it, but just at the time the bottle is inclined and very close to my mouth he manages to push it. Part of my drink pours over me.
He looks at me, remorseful and worried. I'm not hurt, but I could have smashed my lips against the glass. It didn't happen. That wouldn't be an issue either, since I know he slipped. I start laughing, and he laughs too.
I like this. No one has ever played with me like this before.
I can't drink anymore because I can't stop laughing. He puts an arm over my shoulders and says something, mocking me about my stained baseball uniform. His face is close to mine and I'm too happy, so I push him away before I do something stupid that I would to regret later. He thinks it's a game, he caught me again and we start fighting. Luckily, this makes me forget that I wanted to kiss him moments ago. I'm not allowed to do that, even if I'm his fiance.
He pushes me, I push him. We're happy like this. Günter exagerates, saying these are signs of domestic violence and that we look like animals. He's always ranting at me that, "Since when, you little lord, had become such a vulgar person? You're acting like wild animals. And even worse, you encourage His Majesty to do the same, how shameless." But I don't care, this is something Yuuri and I do in private, one of the few things I share only with him. And it makes me happy to know he can have more fun with me than with anyone else, he doesn't play much with Weller since I started responding to his games. He always tells me that he's happy to have someone his age who understands him. Even if there's a difference of almost five times between our ages, he's right, he's also a great partner for me.
I lose balance and fall from the stands, my back hitting the ground with a loud thud. Luckily we were only on the first step, so it's too short a distance for me to feel any pain. I dragged Yuuri with me, he tried to resist but ended up slipping. Now he's kneeling on top of my legs and continues laughing harder since he noticed I'm not hurt.
I feel his hand over my ribs and I slap him without thinking, but he insists. Now his two hands are on either side of my body, moving their fingers quickly. I can't help it, my strength drains suddenly. I twist to get away from him, I tell him he's tickling me, but that's what he actually wants to do. He mocks me, he talks to me like a little kid, he says something about Mother and calls me Honey-chan. I can't understand everything because I can't stop laughing and shaking, my stomach hurts too much. I lose my breath and starts begging, I can't stop to think if it's humiliating or not, I just feel like I'm going to suffocate.
His hands leave me and settle down at my sides. I'm still trying to get air inside my lungs, drained of all strength, lying in the floor, still laughing. I catch a glimpse of him looking at me still twisting alone while I roar with laughter, he's amused and surprised at the same time. I can't help it, I'm having a laughing fit. How many years has it been since the last time? If I recall correctly, I was a baby, or maybe a kid at my uncle's house.
I calm down and lean back onto the floor with a hand over my eyes to avoid the direct sun. I try to breath slowly, to get oxygen back into my lungs. I'm still shaken. I feel his body close to mine, he's still supporting his weight with his hands and his knees are still on top of me. He's looking at me, the small smile on his lips disappearing.
When he shortens the distance between us slowly, I raise my head. It seems I'm not the only one who feels this moment has something special. He inclines his head and I mimic him, closing my eyes. The moment I've imagined so many times feels different than in my heart; it's way better.
My chest feels full. My lips against his.
After a long time, I half open my eyes and I glance at him before breaking away. His hand stops me, he gets closer and pushes me until I lean my head on the floor.
He kisses me again, and this time it's different.
His lips are moving, mine respond. I feel his warm mouth and hands over my face caressing me. Just this roughness alone is enough to make me melt in his fingers. I can't even remember where we are, or what were we doing. I can only live this moment.
The only thing I can think is:
He loves me.
And that makes me the happiest man in the world.
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The end