Author's Notes: I was very surprised by the lack of Horo Horo and Yoh fics
out there, so I decided to write a quick and simple one that would take
less than ten minutes to type up. Enjoy.
After a Long Day
~*~
Yoh leaned back against the steam-slick boulder and sighed to himself. It felt good to immerse his sore muscles in the hot water after a long day of shaman training. He and Horo Horo had been going at it for hours on end today, trying to be stronger, faster, smarter than the other. They were pretty much equal, though Yoh had the confidence and tranquility that Horo Horo lacked.
He opened his eyes to watch the blue-haired boy plop into the pond. "AHHH!" he said as his towel was thrown to a dark corner of the wooden porch beyond. "This is the best part of training. Taking the hot baths afterward."
"Yeah," Yoh agreed. He sighed again with complete contentment. "Especially since Anna leaves us alone for half an hour to enjoy ourselves."
Horo Horo nodded and let his toes break the water. After wriggling them, he let them slowly sink back beneath the pool's murky surface. He looked over at Yoh, who was relaxed and happy, eyes closed and breath deep and slow. His smile faded as he watched him. Yoh was so beautiful when he was like this, all serene and gentle-looking. Not the fierce warrior that shaman training made him.
Yoh opened his eyes when he felt Horo Horo watching him. The other boy smiled at him and looked away quickly.
"Have you ever thought about what it might be like if you don't win the tournament?" Horo Horo asked.
"Nah," Yoh said without thinking. "I'm not worried about it."
The blue-haired shaman looked into the water before reaching out and touching the other teen's hand, which rested close to him. "Could you teach me how to be so calm? I'm always so scared, thinking about the outcome."
Yoh looked at his hand, then at Horo Horo. "You just don't think about it. All you can do is fight with all your strength and have a clear mind." He watched as the boy's fingers stroked over the back of his wrist. "You'll do well, Horo."
He smiled as he touched Yoh's wrist. The boy's skin was so soft. He'd often wondered what it felt like, if his fingertips were callused like a swordsman's, if his hair was silky or coarse. It certainly looked silky enough.
"Could I touch your hair?" he asked.
Yoh shrugged his narrow shoulders. "I guess so." It was a curious question, but Horo Horo was often doing strange things, so his request was nothing new.
The two boys faced one another in the steaming water. Horo Horo lifted his wet hand and ran it through Yoh's long, dry brown bangs, leaving damp streaks in them so that they stuck to the shaman's young face. Brown eyes were trained on him, watching the movement of his hand as it traveled from his dark hair to the curve of his thin neck.
Yoh gently smiled. "Horo...?"
The other teen looked into his eyes for just a second before quickly kissing him, his lips mingling with Yoh's for a split second in time. The kiss was one of an innocent boy that had never done so before. He drew away and blushed darkly.
"Uh, sorry, I know that was weird," he said, though he didn't move away.
Yoh just stared back at him, then kissed him in return, this time letting it deepen so that they parted with their lips shining wetly. He smiled softly and gingerly pinched Horo Horo's cheek.
"Yeah, it was weird," he agreed. "But it wasn't bad."
"Naw, wasn't bad."
Horo Horo moved back to his spot in the bath and watched Yoh, who once again went into his relaxed position. He still couldn't understand how the boy could so easily let things slip by and remain so calm. After finishing with his bath, he wrapped his towel around his lean waist and left his friend sitting alone in the pool, both of them thinking of the kiss.
After a Long Day
~*~
Yoh leaned back against the steam-slick boulder and sighed to himself. It felt good to immerse his sore muscles in the hot water after a long day of shaman training. He and Horo Horo had been going at it for hours on end today, trying to be stronger, faster, smarter than the other. They were pretty much equal, though Yoh had the confidence and tranquility that Horo Horo lacked.
He opened his eyes to watch the blue-haired boy plop into the pond. "AHHH!" he said as his towel was thrown to a dark corner of the wooden porch beyond. "This is the best part of training. Taking the hot baths afterward."
"Yeah," Yoh agreed. He sighed again with complete contentment. "Especially since Anna leaves us alone for half an hour to enjoy ourselves."
Horo Horo nodded and let his toes break the water. After wriggling them, he let them slowly sink back beneath the pool's murky surface. He looked over at Yoh, who was relaxed and happy, eyes closed and breath deep and slow. His smile faded as he watched him. Yoh was so beautiful when he was like this, all serene and gentle-looking. Not the fierce warrior that shaman training made him.
Yoh opened his eyes when he felt Horo Horo watching him. The other boy smiled at him and looked away quickly.
"Have you ever thought about what it might be like if you don't win the tournament?" Horo Horo asked.
"Nah," Yoh said without thinking. "I'm not worried about it."
The blue-haired shaman looked into the water before reaching out and touching the other teen's hand, which rested close to him. "Could you teach me how to be so calm? I'm always so scared, thinking about the outcome."
Yoh looked at his hand, then at Horo Horo. "You just don't think about it. All you can do is fight with all your strength and have a clear mind." He watched as the boy's fingers stroked over the back of his wrist. "You'll do well, Horo."
He smiled as he touched Yoh's wrist. The boy's skin was so soft. He'd often wondered what it felt like, if his fingertips were callused like a swordsman's, if his hair was silky or coarse. It certainly looked silky enough.
"Could I touch your hair?" he asked.
Yoh shrugged his narrow shoulders. "I guess so." It was a curious question, but Horo Horo was often doing strange things, so his request was nothing new.
The two boys faced one another in the steaming water. Horo Horo lifted his wet hand and ran it through Yoh's long, dry brown bangs, leaving damp streaks in them so that they stuck to the shaman's young face. Brown eyes were trained on him, watching the movement of his hand as it traveled from his dark hair to the curve of his thin neck.
Yoh gently smiled. "Horo...?"
The other teen looked into his eyes for just a second before quickly kissing him, his lips mingling with Yoh's for a split second in time. The kiss was one of an innocent boy that had never done so before. He drew away and blushed darkly.
"Uh, sorry, I know that was weird," he said, though he didn't move away.
Yoh just stared back at him, then kissed him in return, this time letting it deepen so that they parted with their lips shining wetly. He smiled softly and gingerly pinched Horo Horo's cheek.
"Yeah, it was weird," he agreed. "But it wasn't bad."
"Naw, wasn't bad."
Horo Horo moved back to his spot in the bath and watched Yoh, who once again went into his relaxed position. He still couldn't understand how the boy could so easily let things slip by and remain so calm. After finishing with his bath, he wrapped his towel around his lean waist and left his friend sitting alone in the pool, both of them thinking of the kiss.