Language: English is not my first language.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke or any of its characters.
Chapter 34
Water is the source of life. In some past our ancestors came from the water to walk on land. We drink it, wash ourselves and prepare our food with it. It can have a healing effect and hydrates the natural life. In this sense it nourishes us and gives us a cool-down on hot days. Without water we wouldn't exist, without it we are nothing. It exists in every life form and can even express emotions. It is a gift of heaven but also with gifts one must be careful. Because too much water is terrible, destructive and deadly. And what happened in that one night, would be stuck for a long time in the heads of the people who witnessed and went through it. In this one night, the Aomine clan met with the deadly unpredictability of water.
It happened in the blink of an eye. The warning call of the scout had hardly died away, when the disaster already was upon them. The dull rumbled in the distance had announced it and in lesser than ten minutes, a mudslide of earth, stones and torn trees took everything away they owned and made the village equal to the ground. Only those who had heard the call in time could save themselves into higher terrain. But even so, almost nobody came away unharmed. It was a disaster on an unprecedented scale, leaving the people in front of a pile of rubble from pain, anxiety, memories and the lifeless bodies of loved ones. The plaintive cries of the wounded echoed through the night and mingled with the mournful wails of the children.
The saying goes: "All good things are three." But this time it couldn't be used, because it was exactly the contrary. Being greeted by torn and dirty Aomine tribe's citizens first thing in the morning, when the haze of the night still lingered on the ground, wasn't what Kagetora would call a change for the good. They just had gotten back a few hours earlier, taken care of Taiga and pretty much everyone still feared for the lives of the two young men. One still feverish and the other telling that he still couldn't feel his limbs very well. They had done everything they could. Now waiting for the better or the worst was the only thing left. So, this situation, he would definitely call it worst. First he noticed a tall green-haired woman, barely able to walk, swaying out of the foggy underwood. Soon after her, others in the same or even worse condition followed. Some of them carried baskets or wounded people and Kagetora immediately left his look-out, catching the tall woman before she could plummet to the ground.
"Careful there." He helped her sit up and her pretty green eyes reminded him of the greenette. "You're Shintarou's mother? What happened?" He fiddled with his water hose and brought it to her lips. More and more people gathered around him but he noticed immediately, that there weren't as many as he had seen during his last mission from his daughter.
Slowly, taking small sips, Midori felt the cool liquid run down her throat. She let out a heavy breath and looked grateful at the stubble bearded man. "Is my chieftain here? Masahiro of the Aomine tribe? We have many injured people. I need to talk to him immediately." Kagetora nodded, taking his water bag back. "I will call for him and his wife and wake up my chieftain." He stood up and looked over the haggard people. "Rest. Help will soon come for you." He promised and got to wake everyone up.
It was a mess. Crying children, bleeding wounds, exhausted people everywhere. They couldn't have enough helping hands to master this challenge. Even the last Kagami citizens were on their legs to help somewhere. Sew wounds, bring water and food or simply donate consolation.
Riko wiped sweat from her forehead and continued to calm a little boy with a head wound and tear tracks on his dirty cheeks. "Junpei, get me some hot water. I need to clean him up. And don't forget the disinfecting ointment." She squatted down before the boy and clutched his small hands in hers. "There, there you will be fine. Don't worry." The sobbing subsided a bit and she met with dark watery eyes. "Where is mommy and daddy?" The pleading wail made Riko flinch. "I don't know, little one. Weren't they with you on your way to us?" When the boy shook his head and new tears begun to stream down his cheeks, she clutched him tightly to her chest and tried to ignore her stinging eyes. She had no words for him, only her body warmth to sooth him. Hugging him tight, she rocked back and forth and caressed his hair.
The slight touch to her shoulder let her look up. Junpei gave her a reassuring smile. "I will take over. Rest a while." He peeled the boy from her arms and began to wash all the dirt and blood from his face. "You are strong right? This will only sting a moment, then we bandage your wound and you will be fine." He kneeled beside the boy, explained to him for what the ointment was and distracted him with light conversation. Riko sat exhausted at his back and watched him with wondrous and appreciative eyes. She never would have thought, that the normally so brusque male could be so loving to children and completely in control of the situation. It made her heart flutter with joy and affection, even if the situation wasn't called for it.
After finishing his task, Junpei handed a small wooden cup with honey tea to the boy and encouraged him to drink. With another cup in hand he flopped down beside Riko. "Here for you." Handing the cup over, he stretched and let his eyes wander over the group of people. "What a mess this is." Riko also looked up, after sipping from her tea. "What will happen now? We don't have enough tents to take everyone of them in."
"I don't know. Raion is talking with Masahiro since an hour. I wouldn't want to be in their place ... and neither in Kazunari's." Junpei peered over to the raven-haired male, who hadn't left the greenette's side since this whole fiasco began. Seeing the stoic face of the green-haired male while he sew wound after wound, would drive him mentally nuts. "I know what you mean. It's as if he has no feelings." Riko looked at the bent back of the tall male, worry riding in her eyes.
Kazunari operated at Shintarou's side as he was told. Giving warm water, bandages, ointment and other things without being told twice. Taking the needle and knife once the deed was done and simply did everything needed to help the greenette in tending to the injured. It was right what they were doing, but the only thing Kazunari wished for, and hoped the greenette would let him later, was to hold the taller male in his arms and console him. When his mother broke the horrible news down to her son, Shintarou's face had fallen for an instant. Then he straighten up, eyes hard, face like it was chiseled and proceed as if nothing had happened. Since then he hadn't shown any feelings, only fought to stop bleeding wounds, barked instructions and move on to the next patient. It worried Kazunari, more and more, with every elapsed hour. Shintarou hadn't taken a break, hadn't eaten and even refused water. He was working like a mad man and every word of concern from the raven fell on deave ears.
And it really was like that. Since Shintarou learned from his mother, that his father had lost his life in the disaster, his world was deafened. Everything came to him as if it was raced through a dirty filter. When a wound was presented to him, he cleaned, sewed, bandaged and moved on to the next one. His hands moved automatically, taking the gauze from Kazunari but didn't give him a glance. Sometimes he felt soothing fingers on his arm, shoulders and neck. It bound him to reality somehow, prevented that his mind wandered off into darkness. He was grateful for that, even if he didn't let the raven-haired male know about it. His chest hurt and eyes burned but his fingers were steady, until cold fingers were placed on his shoulder. He knew those so well and looked up right into his mothers eyes.
"It's enough Shintarou. Take a break, you have done enough for today." Midori looked at him and then her eyes found Kazunari's. "Thank you for taking care of him. I will take over now." She showed a small sad smile and shooed both boys away.
Taiga stirred in his sleep and grunted. He had felt that he was moved sometime earlier but was too exhausted to crack his eyes open and ask what was happening. There were noises of crying children and women but it soon slipped his mind and he dozed off again. Thirst had woken him up now and he slowly flailed his hand around for the water hose, which was placed somewhere near his head. Taking a few shallow sips, he sighed and peered through the crack of his lids. The light was pallid, the entrance to the tent closed and the noises had calmed down. He rubbed the palms of his hands against his sticky eyes and sat slowly up. The world was spinning and he needed some deep breaths to stop it from tumbling. The lump at the back of his head still pulsed. His hand wandered there automatically and felt around the swelling. It wasn't as thick as before and he exhaled loudly, feeling relieved. What the greenette had said to him, that he could have died from cerebral haemorrhage, had finally sunken in and let him shudder, horrified by the imagination. He wasn't ready to die yet. Just had found Daiki … "Daiki!" As if on cue his eyes snapped completely open and searched frantically for the bluenette.
There he was. Right beside him. Skin looking pale, even with his tan and Taiga's heart made a painful jump. He reached out, fingers brushing over a in cold sweat drenched arm. The skin beneath was burning up and eventually he noticed the up and down of the blanket on Daiki's chest. 'He breaths. He is alive.' Leaning forward, Taiga put his forehead to the bluenette's chest. His hand wandered down the damp arm and closed tight around Daiki's long fingers. "Don't scare me like that you idiot." He breathed out with closed eyes and laid his head to the side, feeling him breath and hearing the tapping of his heart, reassuring himself that this was real. That they somehow once again survived.
Hours later Raion found his son like this. Sitting on the ground, legs messily turned to the side, head on the bluenette's chest and his hand clamping around the other guy's as if he never wanted to let go. "What do I do with him Tora?" He ask into the silence of the tent and draped a fur over his son's back. Slightly ruffling the blackish red hair, a smiled forced its way to his worried, exhausted face. Seeing those two like this, in intimate silent familiarity, let him think that even the worst events could produce good. "I hope you can convince Masahiro.", he mumbled, looking over his shoulder back before he stepped outside.
"Shin-chan you need to eat something" Kazunari held a food covered plate in front of the greenette's face and tried to convince him to at last eat one small bite. "I have no time for this. Furthermore, I don't feel hungry at all. Leave me alone." The greenette showed his back and digged threw his bag, hands undirected searching around. "No! I won't have that. You'll make yourself sick. At last drink something." He held out the water hose, but got ignored again. "Shin-chan~!", he wailed, tugging at the taller males arm. "Kazunari! For once leave me alone. I don't want anything at the moment." Shintarou growled and jerked his arm away. All this attention on his person was going on his nerves, he only wanted to be left alone with his grief. But the raven haired male wouldn't let him. Was there when his mother had told him about his dad and fussed over him since then. And now again.
"Stop being so stupid and eat and drink. You will need your strength in the next days. Some of them didn't look too good and I'm sure everyone will need your help- … Uwah~" Kazunari suddenly found himself pushed to the ground, the water hose falling from his hand and an angry Shintarou hovering above him. "Shut your trap already! I said I don't want anything! Why can't you leave me alone?" Green eyes bubbling with anger glared down at him and he twitched in pain as the grip around his wrists got more forceful. "I'm only worry about you. You haven't uttered one word about your dad, don't show any feelings about it at all and you stopped caring for yourself. How do you intend to help others, when you're in shambles yourself?" Kazunari snapped back, growing angry with the other male. "It has nothing to do with you!" Shintarou roared, smashed the ravens wrists into the ground and peered enraged into the turquoise-silverish eyes.
"... nothing to do with me?", Kazunari whispered unbelieving. His anger subsided instantly and hurt bleed into his eyes. "How can you say that? All I want is ..." He broke up, face full of sorrow. "What? What do you want from me? And what is it anyway to you? You have no business with my dad's death or how I feel about it. Don't act as if you know me that well!"
It stung. Kazunari's heart throbbed in pain and he felt illness creeping into his stomach. "Ahaha … yeah, you're right. It's none of my business. It's just one sided from my part, that I want to take care of you, be there for you and … love you." The words tumbled out of his mouth without thinking, growing more silent with each syllable, the last ones exhaled almost inaudible. He averted his eyes, hands clenched into tight fists and bit his lips.
"What?" Perplexed, Shintarou sat up to his haunches and looked puzzled at the raven-haired male. Kazunari sucked sharply in his breath and glared up to the taller man. He probed himself up on his elbows. "You heard me right! Now let me stand up. I don't want to be near you at the moment" He couldn't believe that he just had snapped and confessed to the guy and in such a horrible manner as well. Furthermore, he couldn't believe that the greenette hadn't noticed anything up until now and acted completely surprised at his words. Was he still in denial or did he really not get it? One way or the other, Kazunari had enough. "I said stand up, I wanna get out of here.", he growled, noticing that Shintarou still hadn't moved an inch. He pushed against the taller man's chest and wriggled out underneath him. The greenette was frozen and only stared at Kazunari.
That was too much for the smaller man. He stood up and immediately spun on his heels. "I'm sorry that I forced my feeling onto you. I won't do it again ...", he said with a remorseful voice, stopping before the fur curtain. "... please, don't hate me for loving you." His feelings were in shambles, anger and sorrow fighting with each other, getting him all muddled up. He knew he was acting sheer impossible but couldn't do anything about it. He himself, had been too long in denial over his feelings and he simply couldn't hold them in anymore. He had thought or hoped it was the same for the greenette, but his reaction now spoke otherwise. Kazunari knew that his timing couldn't have been worse. But even if he excused Shintarou's reaction with that, he felt unwanted … unloved and his eyes burned with hot tears as he eventually left his tent.
Shintarou heard the swish of the curtain and snapped out of his stupor. "Wait ..." He attempted to hold the raven back, but he was already gone. He leaned forward, still on his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. 'He loves me? But that can't be. We only met and … No, that's not right.' The picture of Kazunari drenched in his own blood appeared before his inner eye and he gnashed his teeth together. It was since then. Right. The raven lingered in his mind since he found him almost bleeding to death in the rainforest, two years ago. He had helped him recover and when he heard the voices of the search party, left him and got back to this tribe. He thought that was all of it, but his father had noticed something was different and pulled him to the side. Like always, he hadn't confide in him and denied that anything had happened. He was confident that he could deal with everything on his own. Now he regretted not talking with his father. Would never have the chance again.
Finally the dam broke. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks and a sob escaped the confinements of his throat. All the stress and grief from the past hours broke loose and he couldn't suppress the shaking of his body. Pressing his fists into the ground underneath his chest, he gaped after air, forcing more sobs out of his mouth. Why? Why did this happen? He had so much he wanted to tell him. But he was gone. Would never knowingly smile at him again when he refused his help or caught sight of the new lucky item of the day. Wouldn't make him breakfast, even though he always said he didn't need it but eat it anyway. Wouldn't look up exhausted after a long night, with dark bags under his eyes, when he tried to learn more about the usefulness of a new plant he found and Shintarou was sent by his mother to bring him a midnight snack and remind him that he needed sleep. It was all over. Nothing would return once it was gone. All what remained him of his father, was the necklace with the owl claw, which he always carried in his bag. He had felt embarrassed to get such a girly present and refused to wear it. But even so, he took it always with him wherever he went. Pulling it out, he held it in his shaking hands and looked at it with watery eyes. He clench his fingers around it and pressed it against his forehead with closed eyes. His tears were falling freely from his lashes, leaving wet tracks on his cheeks. He didn't care. Only felt an unbelievable pain in his chest.
"Shin-chan …" The soothing hands were back. Caressing his back, pulling him into a tight embrace. His forehead leaned against a lean but strong shoulder and his breath hitched in his throat as the warmth of Kazunari enveloped him like a comforting coat. "Shhh …I'm here. Let everything out." Kazunari stroked gently over the jolting back, whispering obscure cooing sounds. He hadn't walked away from the tent earlier. Instead walked circles before it, with his arms crossed over his chest and tried to get his anger in check. When the first sob reached his ears, he had stilled and listened for a while, giving the green-haired male space to vent out his despair. He couldn't, however, endure it much longer. It broke his heart in so many ways, he was inside the tent encasing the crying man with his body, before he could even think if this was right or wrong. He wanted to be there for him, couldn't leave him alone, despite what he had said before. Kazunari loved him too much to be so heartless.
His heart fluttered a tad happy, despite the situation, when long, strong arms clutched tight around him. Shintarou didn't reject him, didn't pull away and in contrast to Kazunari resolve, he pressed his lips against the strained temple of the greenette. He wanted to shower him with love. Show him that he was there for him no matter the situation. Fuck his recent decision, he had never been someone who holds back for long. He placed another kiss on the taller males cheek and combed his fingers through the soft green hair. "Kazunari …" Shintarou pulled slightly back and looked grateful into the silverish turquoise eyes, who lovingly watched him. He leaned in, his breath ghosting for a moment over the smaller males lips as he pressed his own to them. It was only for a moment and Kazunari's lids fluttered surprised. "Shin-chan?", he murmured questioning, peering flabberghasted up to the greenette. He couldn't comprehend what just happened and why. Had he done it to thank him or were other feelings mixed within? Kazunari wasn't capable to differentiate that right now, which lead to his quizzical look.
Opposite him, Shintarou had put one hand over his mouth, ears red and stared baffled at the smaller male. Why had he done that? Kazunari was too close and he- … This wasn't a question of closeness. He had been close with other males before and nothing like that had happened, so why now? Was it the loss of his father? The hands, what felt so soothing on his back or simply his thankfulness towards the raven-haired male? Either way, that was no excuse for what he had done, giving that he now knew about the other's feelings towards him. His body had moved on its own and before he knew it, he had pecked at the thin lips in front of him. And it felt right, which was the biggest surprise. So, it was neither born out of thankfulness or grief, it simply was what he wanted no matter how he minced it through.
"You know, Shin-chan, I don't need that. I will console you even without you giving me something back. I understand that you are confused but you kissing me, will only get my hopes up and I don't want that if you don't feel the same." Kazunari scratched the back of his head and smiled slightly at him. "... -eed it."
"Hm? What did you say?" Kazunari asked while attempting to stand up. The greenette's head snapped back, green eyes catching Kazunari's in a determined gaze. "I said, I'm not confused and I need it."
Suddenly, Kazunari was pulled forward at his wrist and tightly pressed to Shintarou's broad chest. Long fingers tipped his head back and hot lips descended on his. He gaped, opening his mouth and a wet tongue swished in, mapping out the patterns of his cavern. All he could do was hold still and let the greenette ravish him, mind too dazed from the sudden onslaught. It was breath taking. His hands tried to find support at the strong shoulders, coincidentally scratching his nails over the strung up muscles. Shintarou groused but didn't stop, only dragged him closer to his body and deepened the kiss. Air was short circulated in his lungs, but against the significant stronger man, he had no way to break free. His nostrils flared, fingers tangled in green hair, tugging for dear life, as he eventually began to kiss back.
Kazunari pushed the greenette's tongue back with his own, finally got the much needed air and proceed to let Shintarou get a taste of his own medicine. He wasn't a cute little girl who could be manhandled and even if his body was smaller, his streight was that of a man. And he let the taller one feel it. He pushed his whole body weight onto Shintarou to get him out of balance. When he finally plummeted down to his back, Kazunari hovered over him, stadling his legs, lips still tightly bound to the bitter-sweet ones he had craved for so long. He couldn't stop. Let his tongue swish in and out, over the greenette's teeth and tongue, tasting his innate flavour. "Kazu- … nghn …"
Being on the receiving end of such unbound desire, Shintarou was now the one gaping after air. He tugged hard at the raven-colored hair strains, plugging the intoxicated male away from his face. "Shin-chan …" It was only a breathed out sentence of his name, but Shintarou's blood boiled up in his veins. Who needed air anyway? Rolling his body around, he caught Kazunari's lower lips with his teeth and sucked hard while confining him beneath his large body. He kissed him fiercely and thoroughly until he was quivering mess. Arms and legs tight around the greenette's body, Kazunari's dazed eyes looked up into feisty green ones and a wanton moan escaped his throat when Shintarou shifted his weight. He felt the friction on his hard shaft and tightened his legs around the man's waist.
"We should stop.", the greenette exhaled against his cheek and placed a chaste peck to the corner of Kazunari's lips. Kazunari didn't want to let got, but Shintarou was right, this wasn't the time and place they should be doing this. Even though he knew it, he still hesitated to let go. He peered up into his beloved's manly face and sighed as he saw the determination riding underneath the longing. "Yeah, I know.", he murmured and let his limbs fall to either side of his body. And did good in stopping. As soon as Shintarou sat back to his haunches, someone clear his throat right outside the tent. "Ahem, I don't want to disturb you two, but we still need a bit help with the injured."
Ryouta heard the shuffling of bodies and tried to get the image, which he had witnessed, out of his head. When the greenette stepped out of the tent, ears slightly red, not meeting his golden eyes and Ryouta noticed the scratch marks on his broad shoulders, he couldn't withstand to grin. Chuckling, he peered from Kazunari, who also had emerged with his ruffled hair, back to the striding away Aomine guy and cracked an eyebrow in amusement. "Sorry to disturb you." The laughter could be heard in his voice. The raven smirked and slapped the back of his head. "The next time you need to get us, make yourself noticeable before you pull the curtain away." The blonde rubbed the abused spot, but still smiled. "You noticed?"
"Hawkeye.", Kazunari deadpanned. "Kazunari! Put your backside into motion and come here. I need your assistance.", the greenette snarled while looking over his shoulder back. "What do you see in him?", Ryouta questioned with a perplexed expression. "I like the tsundere-type." The raven-haired male winked and jogged up to his tall companion.
His chest felt heavy. Breathing was almost an agony. His side ached terribly and sticky, cold sweat covered his whole body. He had never felt this weak, and his eyes wouldn't opened so easily. Nevertheless, he perceived that he was lying on a soft fur bed. Flashes of recollection danced behind his closed eyes. His mother's face, markings on tree trunks, the horrible hunger, the weakness of his fever ridden body and Taiga, unconscious, unmoving and nothing he could do against it. He had to save him, wanted to see the fiery eyes and the smile that rivaled the sun. But first, the heavy weight on his chest needed to be gone.
Raising his arm he felt over his chest and suddenly met the smooth texture of hair. He now recognized the soft breath ghosting over his skin and his hands moved, almost on their own will, into the unruly tangled locks. Cracking his eyes open, he looked down at Taiga's face relief settling instantly into his guts. He felt a huge burden tumble from his chest and somehow, even though Taiga's head still laid heavily on his torso, he could breathe more freely now.
Tangling his long fingers into his lovers hair, Daiki began to massage Taiga's scalp. "Hey." He breathed out, voice raspy and strained from his long fever. He wanted to see those brilliant red eyes again, but at the same time, he enjoyed to look at the softened out facial expression of the redhead. It soothed him. Mind and body. Moving his digits, his thumb brushed against one of the dual-splitted eyebrows. Taiga frowned but then sighed. "Daiki …"
The bluenette's heart throbbed for a second there. Could one man be able to feel so much, just from hearing his name breathed out by his sleeping lover? Before, he didn't think it was possible. But now it was and he didn't give a flying fuck that he probably was the biggest sap in the whole jungle right now. His heart swelled with so much relive, that Taiga and himself were alive, that even his dried out body decided to let a tear roll over his tanned cheek.
"I love you."
It came without intention. Simply, rose up from his throat and tumbled from his lips, without him being aware of it. Once it was out, he stilled his caressing movements and stared kinda buzzled into reddish eyes. "Daiki?"
Taiga raised his head and rubbed his eyes with the knuckles of his hands, like the big kitten he was. It looked endearing to the bluenette, but he was still shell shocked at what had come over his lips only seconds ago.
He loved him. It wasn't only the physical attraction, he had known that for a while now. But hearing his own voice say the words first, still got him good. Suddenly fiercely blushing, Daiki evade his eyes and coughed sheepishly.
"How long were you awake?", he murmured against the tent wall, still not able to look at the redhead.
"Ha? Uhm … just woke up." After rubbing some more on his gummed up eyes, Taiga froze, mouth falling open. "Holy crap! You're awake!"
"Finally noticed, huh?.", Daiki scoffed and looked back at the redhead, convinced that the guy maybe hadn't heard his sappy outburst. And then suddenly his world light up even more, when his former wish was granted with the brightest smile forming on Taiga's face.
"Daiki." Before the bluenette could open his mouth again, soft lips descended on his. Taiga's lips shivered slightly but soon got fierce, pulling him into a frenzy clash of tongues and teeth, tearing at each other. As much as he loved to continue the feelings-ridden kiss, his still weak body needed air. Pushing at the sunkissed strong shoulder, he broke away and heaved heavily. "Haa haa … really, here I am, just jumped off the deaths shovel and the next thing I know is you trying to suffocate me with your tongue. Nice way to show your lo-" Stopping mid sentence, when he noticed at what he was hinting, he pressed his lips together, not knowing where to look. He had said that sentence before, but now that the real thing had come over his own lips just a few minutes ago, if the redhead heard it or not, he felt awkward and kinda embarrassed.
But Taiga, despite his normal lack of consciousness for such things, caught up on it nevertheless and leaned down, dual-eyebrows raised in amusement and brought his face again closer to the tanned ones. "You know …" His breath ghosted hotly over Daiki's lips, "I heard you." He smashed their lips together once more, not giving Daiki any room to protest.
Taiga had woken up, earlier than he had said, by the massaging of his scalp but had still held his eyes closed, bathing in the joy of feeling his lover's body move again. He had just been about to open his mouth, when his ears caught on to the whispered statement and his eyes snapped open. Seeing the frozen state and the feelings uncoil on the tanned males face, let his heart skip a beat only to start again with double speed, thundering away in his chest. He then heard the sheepishly coughed question and decided, even if Daiki had just awoken, he could already take a bit of teasing. And he was glad he did, since he got the gift of seeing the taller, normally so confident, rude and narcissistic man, cripple in embarrassment underneath his tearing lips.
Licking one last time over the edge of Daiki's lips, Taiga pulled a tad back and locked his reddish eyes with midnight-blue ones. "Me too … love you." He nuzzled his red face into the crook of Daiki's neck, suddenly empathizing how Daiki must have felt upon saying those words. It was embarrassing to say them out loud but now that it was done, he felt that they finally were on the same page. Somewhere in the back of his mind had always be the question, 'what if this was only a mutual bodily attraction rather than the beginning of love?' To be more precise, since Daiki's incursion on him back in the cave, the question had lingered, even after they had done all those … toe curling things afterwards. He had seen it in those blue eyes, felt it while calloused tanned hands had mapped out the structures of his muscles and imprinted it with every thrust into his wanton body. But hearing him say it, admitting to it in words, was something that Taiga had needed, if the bluenette and himself knew it or not.
Still hiding his face at Daiki's neck, an amused chuckle escaped the taller man's throat. "You got me good with that. And yourself, too."
Shooting up from his position, Taiga's voice rose to protest. "I wasn't …" His words died on his lips when he saw the loving gleam in the tanned male's eyes. "Yeah … maybe you're right." He sighed and plopped down again. "Saying it ... is embarrassing."
"But I finally got to hear it." Soft lips ghosted over his temple, followed by a grunt and a shift of the larger body beneath him. "As much as I love to have you on top of me, you're freaking heavy. Can't breath." Daiki's face chiseled up in pain and Taiga reluctantly removed his body from the bluenette's. "Are you still in pain?" Worry was creeping into his face when Daiki pressed a hand to his side. "Yeah, a bit. But I'm a big boy.", he grinned with gritted teeth.
"Ha! Your ego is bigger believe me.", Taiga scoffed and in no time they were back to teasing each other again.
Outside the tent, Satsuki had clapped a hand over her, first gaping then smiling, mouth. Love for her brother and his unexpected, significant other spilled from her eyes in huge crocodile tears. She had never thought Daiki could be so mellow and loving to another person. Deciding to let those two have their freedom for a while longer, she walked back to her tent, which she shared meanwhile with Seijuurou. The news of the departure of their fathers could wait for later.
TBC