AN: Cheers for 643 hits!
Occurring in and around the timeline of this chapter:
K: Seven Stories - Circle Vision - Nameless Song. (Manga/Movie)
Snow.
Following the activation of Munakata's sanctum, something unusual happened. Without any word or instruction shared, Munakata's Scepter 4 and Mikoto's own Homra, began working in tandem.
They had on occasion, suspended their rivalry to collaborate, but never so fluidly as now, with one aiding the other and vice versa, as if it were choreographed.
Just the same. When utilizing his lightning speed, the Green King managed to dodge past Mikoto, and the Grey King placed himself so as to prevent Mikoto from pursuing. It was Munakata who arrived at Mikoto's back, to face Hisui In Mikoto's stead.
Munakata sent Mikoto a look, that intent smile on his face. Mikoto felt himself return the smile, with a vicious one of his own, before the fight demanded their attention once more.
By the end of the night, the city block had erupted with the combined powers of Five Kings and their clans, Necessitating a temporary retreat on all sides.
Mikoto accompanied a lively and chattering, though flagging Homra back to the bar. Where the others settled down for some quiet drinks, while Mikoto piggy backed Anna up to her room.
There he eased her on to the lid of the laundry basket, and once she had brushed her teeth, while nodding off in front of the sink. Helped her out of her shoes and coat.
Then when she had at last climbed into her bed, after the long day she had had. Mikoto tucked her covers up around her chin, and was about to leave the room. But she caught his sleeve, stopping him.
"Mikoto. Are you going to see him?"
Mikoto's expression was a wry one. "Yeah."
"Tell him I said hello." Some mischievousness entering her voice, or maybe he just thought so, because he felt her intent.
"Sure." He made to leave once more, but this time it was her words that halted him.
"Mikoto, I had a wonderful day. I'll always miss you, until the time I see you again in the dream."
"Live a long life, then tell me all about it." Patting her head gently, he let the curtains fall across the side of her bed once more.
Hands in pockets he descended the stairs, and ignoring Tataras suggestively waggling eyebrows, stepped out of bar homra onto the street.
It was cold out, but he didn't bother with his hood. Just lit a smoke he had pilfered from Izumo and carried on, making strides towards the one place he knew Munakata would expect to find him.
The walk took him across the bridge, that in the dream proper would have overlooked Hibana's stone. Through the Ashinaka school complex, more populated than he had seen it in a long while. And into the dense forestry, emerging at last on the grounds of the shrine.
Mikoto had just taken up a seat on the steps, and lifted his eyes to the dark sky above, noting that it was beginning to snow. When his own voice was accompanied by that of another.
"Snow." Munakata remarked upon approach, dropping his eyes to find Mikoto's.
"There you are. Not often I'm the early one between the two of us."
Munakata didn't make any effort to hide his smile behind an adjustment of his glasses, like he might have done when they were in the public eye. "You'll have to excuse me, I had a job of it avoiding the Silver and Gold Kings on my way here."
"Anna says 'hello' by the way."
"Our daughter, always remembering her manners." Munakata mused.
Mikoto just snorted, though his heart was beating a private staccato.
He needed a smoke to calm his restless energy, so pushing his hand in to his jacket pocket he retrieved a pack of cigarettes, a pack that gave him pause. Blue Sparks, the very same carton Munakata and he had smoked together the last time they met at the shrine. "Two left." Mikoto standing, offered the remaining stick to Munakata, while getting the other between his own lips. "And before you start, no, cigarettes don't go stale in the dream, so I don't want to hear you complaining."
"Very well." Munakata stepped in close, lighting the end of his own smoke against that of Mikoto's. "In exchange, I want to know, were have you been all this time, tell me about the 'dream' you speak of."
Mikoto's very skin thrilled in response to the close proximity, so close he could feel Munakata's breath tickling his face causing his own to hitch.
Leaving the island once more, this time side by side, they made for Munakata's residence. Mikoto explaining the basics of the dream as he understood it, and despite that his description of it's working were abbreviated and considerably dryer than the version he himself had received, Munakata listened intently a thoughtful expression in place.
"-the dream's just the other side of this world, more or less."
Mikoto was expecting the hotel they had frequented in the waking, but instead Munakata bayed him follow an altogether different route, the one that led them to Scepter 4 headquarters.
Shrugging, and deciding against making an issue of the turn of events, Mikoto accompanied Munakata through the gates. He had only been here once before, when he had turned to Munakata to help him after Tatara's death. There was something right about returning under wholly preferable circumstances now.
On their way across the forecourt and around to presumably the men's barracks, the odd sight they made received a lot of surprised looks. Though Mikoto hardly noticed, never having concerned himself with his reputation or what others might think of him. Munakata meanwhile easily handed out genial smiles like he was a contestant taking first place in a pageant, like nothing at all was out of the ordinary about the situation.
The only exceptions to the floored many, were one Lieutenant ordering her men to "Quit gawking-", Fushimi stolidly ignoring them, and Takeru Kusuhara as well as a man with one arm preoccupied with leading a cat to it's food.
However, none of this was on Mikoto's mind when they reached what was presumably Munakata's personal room. As soon as the door was closed behind them, they forwent pretext.
Munakat's hands fisting in the hair at Mikoto's nape, and the back of his tshirt beneath his jacket. While Mikoto smoothed his palm against Munakats neck, and his other along his shoulder and back beneath his uniform coat. Amid this, their noses bumped lightly, toxic breath mingling.
Munakata's brows crumpled, and the sweep of his lashes fluttered closed even as they grew damp with emotion. Drawing in a sharp breath he held Mikoto close.
For his part Mikoto rested his head against Munakata's shoulder, and allowed his own eyes, burning with tears, to close. "Not going soft on me are you?" He got out, voice steadier than he felt. Then more candidly. "It's been lonely without you around, interfering and lecturing. Without a good fight. You know- I am sorry."
"I know." Munakata at last managed. He pulled back, causing Mikoto to lift his head, so that their lips could join together in a lasting unhasty press, that steadily deepened until they drew apart reluctantly for breath. "I've accepted what you had to do back then. Doesn't mean I hate it any less." Munakata's voice had taken on a raspy quality. And he removed his glasses, to hold a hand over his eyes. His exhale shaky.
Placing small kisses across Munakata's fingers, the same ones covering his eyes, Mikoto spoke. "Guess I should say thank you, for looking out for Anna." He rumbled lowly, once he had attended to all five.
Hand moving from Munakata's own face, to thumb over the scar left from their last fight, beneath Mikoto's eye. "It goes without saying." Some strength fortifying his tone once more. He tucked his glasses away, meeting Mikotos eyes. "Still, if you could only be here with us-"
Mikoto smiled a heartsick smile, as Munakata had said, the rest went without saying, he understood what was conveyed without the need of words.
Taking Munakata's hand, Mikoto guided him to the hem of his tshirt. This should assure the other man.
Though puzzled, Munakata lifted the hem, his eyes finding the pale shiny stretch marks in Mikoto's brown skin immediately.
"By the way, you're a father of two, Hibana's a year and a half old and has your eyes." Mikoto told him with an offhand air, though couldn't keep the crooked smile from his face."And because I know you're going to ask, the delivery went smoothly."
Munakata's eyes shot back up to Mikoto's, and a rare genuine grin followed, accompanied by a breathless laugh. "'Hibana', a worthy name. They're with you in the dream then, safe? But, you chose to carry to term?" He asked, tenderly caressing Mikoto's skin above his belt.
Shrugging Mikoto argued. "What can I tell you, I don't take orders, least of all from Doctors with outdated notions about reproductive justice."
"Incorrigible and quite right." Open affection suffused Munakata's words.
When Munakata kissed him this time, they shared a laugh or in Mikoto's case a snort, on breaking apart for breath.
For a moment they studied one another, caught up in simply sharing air like they hadn't in too long.
Then, because they were men of action, heading his impulses, Mikoto stepped forwards, walking Munakata backwards until they reached the bed. Indulging them both with another wholly different kiss, this time nipping Munakata's lip, a challenge and an invite intertwined in that smallest gesture.
Mikoto tugged Munakata's cravat free, and broke the meeting of their mouths, so he could angle to run his teeth against Munakata's smooth jaw and the side of his newly exposed neck. A hot breath fanning the pale skin, when he felt the hand with a grip on his tshirt, move downwards over the curve of his ass to start up caressing the back of his thigh.
Teeth and a soft pleased growl met munakata's bare shoulder, while Mikoto busily pushed the Scepter 4 uniform coat, vest and white shirt partly free of the man he wanted to get at. His flaring powers, and blunt nails, already doing damage.
Munakata's breathy chuckle stirred red hair. "I take it your boundaries remain the same?" He wanted to confirm.
Drawing his mouth from Munakata's shoulder, Mikoto found those simultaneously wondering and penetrating eyes on him. Mikoto made an affirmative sound, and asked. "How about you?" Though he had no doubt Munakata would have said something already, if there was some change.
Munakata simply smiled in answer. And holding Mikoto by the middle with one arm, the other under his leg, spun them before setting Mikoto heavily down on the bed.
Mikoto grinning crookedly, lifted himself up only briefly again to catch Munakata's belt. Pulling Munakata atop him, he couldn't help the obvious sound of pleasure he made, when Munakata's weight settled between his spread thighs.
Noses and lips brushing together gently. Mikoto succeeded in ridding Munakata of shirt and vest entirely, and had just slipped the other man's belt free. While Munakata, gliding his hands over Mikoto's sides with tantalizing slowness, helped him out of his jacket and tshirt.
Skimming his hands back down Mikoto's body, Munakata halted over the band of Mikoto's sports bra. carefully lifting it in a certain place, he brushed the scar there with his fingers. The scar from the wound that ended Mikoto's waking life.
Munakata made no comment, but Mikoto knew intimately what he was feeling. They had been apart two years, once this waking-dream came to an end, it would be decades. They both had their separate paths to walk until then.
Crossing his arms to grasp the band of his bra, Mikoto tugged it over his head. Next he took Munakata's hand and pressed his palm against the scar, letting Munakata feel the fervent beating of his heart, occasional palpitations and all. Resting his other hand against Munakata's own heart, feeling the contrasting steady rhythm there.
When he released Munakata, and the other man's features came back into view. Munakata's expression was that of a smile once more, the one he only shared in the space between themselves.
