NijiHimus as always, for stephanericher; was supposed to be written for rare pair battle, but due to being overseas at the time, was not.
AU fusion prompt for medieval+reunion aka covert request for Tortall AU drabble fic
It's the longest Tatsuya's been away since this thing between them started – two whole, long years full of incredibly sporadic letters from places Shuuzou will probably never see, between the responsibilities of learning to manage Trebond and making sure they have the money to fund whatever dreams his siblings might have; and that's not even touching the unruly squire he picked up six months ago. Daiki is a promising warrior, even though the Goldenlake brat is supremely useless at anything else.
But it's been a long time. So when Shuuzou got a letter saying that Tatsuya was headed back Tortall way, he's almost instantly impossibly restless. Even Daiki can tell, and the kid's everyday perceptiveness is literally the worst Shuuzou's ever seen, almost as if in compensation for the incredible situational awareness and perception he has with a weapon in his hand.
Tatsuya sent word ahead that he was only a few days out, so on the day he's supposed to arrive, Shuuzou gives in to his need to be doing something, bringing about their reunion just that touch faster, and prepares his horse to go out to meet him. Only, he's completely unable to convince Daiki to stay at Trebond Castle, so the brat's riding with him, looking for all and intents and purposes, quite smug.
Shuuzou took some little consolation in the fact that he'll be less smug when he learns they're here to meet Shuuzou's lover, but it's his own fault for insisting on riding with him. Shuuzou kind of hopes maybe it'll make the kid think about his own situation – the name Ryouta of Naxen was all-too-well-known at Trebond – but he's become too well acquainted with Daiki of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak to believe something that subtle will get through his thick skull.
Tatsuya kept him waiting at their meeting point, of course; they have a spot, the one that Shuuzou always sees him off at and welcomes him at, if he can. It's the point where the road towards the Trebond fiefdom meets the more well-travelled road that travels north to the Scanran border and south towards Corus. It's just Tatsuya's way; he likes to make an entrance.
But still, Shuuzou was pretty relieved that he doesn't make him wait too long. They've been apart for so long, and he's missed Tatsuya. He's terrible at letter writing, after all; the letters he's received over the years are devoid of substance. Sometimes he's not even sure where the letter has come from, because Tatsuya completely neglects to mention what country he's in now, or what city, or sometimes even if he travelled between cities at all. He's also kind of emotionally stunted and completely incapable of letting his defences down long enough to admit he misses Shuuzou too, even in a letter.
But Shuuzou has treasured the damn letters anyway, and if he's hoped more than once over the last few years that the drifting nature of a Shang warrior will settle a little in him and keep Tatsuya close by, or at least not quite so far away from Trebond as he journeyed this time, it's something he keeps close to his chest and doesn't admit either.
His first sight of Tatsuya in two years made his stomach do a funny twist, and his heartbeats accelerate. He was grinning, he realised as he walks slowly in the direction of Tatsuya and his horse, but he's fairly sure there's a small smile on Tatsuya's face, so he'll be damned if he can be bothered to hide it. Tatsuya swung himself off his horse not far from Shuuzou, while he was still moving – Shuuzou's not sure where Tatsuya found such a placid beast to tolerate him as a rider – and Shuuzou doesn't bother reining in the urge to grab him. It served Tatsuya right for being away for so long, after all, and it's not as if Tatsuya isn't strong enough to get away from him if he wanted to.
"Hi," Tatsuya said. "Did you miss me, Shuu?"
He doesn't bother to answer – instead he drew him in for a kiss.
"Gross! Can't that wait until you get home?"
Shuuzou could feel Tatsuya's sly smile curve wickedly against his mouth before he drew away, earlier than Shuuzou would have liked. When Shuuzou let Tatsuya go and turned around, he realised Daiki's cheeks were very pink, and snorted.
"Shuu, you should introduce me," Tatsuya said. His visible eye was positively dancing with wicked intentions, and he curled an arm around Shuuzou. "I didn't know you'd taken a squire."
"Goldenlake, I didn't make you come with me," Shuuzou pointed out. "You don't get to complain. Tatsuya, this is Daiki of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak. Daiki, this is Himuro Tatsuya, the Shang Seahorse."
Daiki's expression turned from embarrassment to almost looking like he was going to burst with excitement faster that Shuuzou could even blink. He wasn't exactly surprised; Daiki, who gloried in a challenge, would be eager to pit himself against a fully trained Shang warrior. He was quick to reach out and flick his head.
"You still have way too much to learn to come close to challenging Tatsuya," he said.
"You say the sweetest things about me, Shuu," Tatsuya commented. He looked Daiki over for a moment, before leaning over to kiss Shuuzou's cheek. Daiki's embarrassed expression swiftly reappeared; but this time, he bit his tongue on his complaint.
"Come on, let's go home," Shuuzou said. "The brats missed you too, you know."
Tatsuya's smile was slight, warm and regretful. "I missed them too," he admitted before letting go of Shuuzou to get back on his horse, "but that's just how things are."
That didn't mean any of them had to like it, Shuuzou wanted to tell him, but this was not a conversation to be had in front of Daiki, or on Tatsuya's first night home, so he let it go. The topic of Tatsuya's wandering ways would come up again sooner than Shuuzou wanted it to anyway.
As they ride back, Daiki asked a variation The Question.
"Doesn't your hair get in the way like that?"
Shuuzou glanced at Tatsuya, who is smiling slightly. He looked, for all intents and purposes, quite relaxed, but Shuuzou knew better – there's a slight tenseness to his shoulders unrelated to the fact that he's riding a horse.
Tatsuya brushed his hair aside, exposing the scarring of the skin and milkiness of the eye that doesn't work, and Daiki stared very openly in a mix of gruesome fascination and awe. Shuuzou leaned over to smack the back of his head hard as Tatsuya lets the hair fall back into place, all the answer to Daiki's question he needs.
Daiki's keen to know how it happened, and as Tatsuya begun spinning yet another bullshit tale – sometimes Shuuzou wondered if he spent all his time riding between cities thinking up stories to answer this very question, because he's never heard the same one twice – Shuuzou sighed, and let the sound of Tatsuya's voice wash over him. He is safe and home, and here with him once more, looking no worse for wear; the prickliness and restlessness that built up over his absence has dissipated from under his skin, leaving only warmth.
He does his best not to laugh at the ridiculous tale Tatsuya is spinning, because Daiki is caught up in it, and wishes that he could touch Tatsuya easily.
To pass the rest of the time to reaching Trebond, the place where he can finally, finally touch him again, he lets himself be drawn into Tatsuya's fantastical tale.