Kiss
n. touch with the lips as a sign of love, sexual desire, reverence, or greeting.
"Are you okay?" Pieri asked solemnly. "You two have been quiet for a while now. Is it the prisoner? What's the big deal—"
"Kill him." Flannel's eyes were devoid of compassion, sympathy, or reasoning. "Kill him now."
At the sudden command, Pieri squealed happily, while Nishiki sputtered and frowned. His eyes were full of fear and hesitation—not because he was afraid of the prisoner, but because he was afraid for Flannel. There was real, palpable aggravation in his voice, and that energy could easily escape out of him, and turn into a bloodbath for all the world to see.
Although Flannel didn't say anything, Nishiki knew that the other was already fantasizing about tearing this dark mage into shreds—until there was nothing left of him by strips of bloodied flesh and cloth.
Nishiki had to placate him somehow. "What are you talking about, Flannel? We're not supposed to kill anyone, remember? The other guards will take care of the ones sent to die!"
"There's no way that I'm letting him get out alive. He shouldn't even be alive!" Flannel fumed. "I don't know how you escaped the first time, but this time you're dying for good. I'll kill you twice if that's what it takes!"
"Flannel, stop it!" Nishiki stepped forward, with narrowed eyes and a stern touch. "We can't just kill him here!"
"Yes we can! And we will!"
"Pieri doesn't know what this man did, but if he's this bad, she thinks we should skip the chit-chat and get to killing!" She swayed back and forth on her heels, nearly singing out of pure joy. "If he hurt you two somehow, he's got to pay."
"Exactly."
"Bold of you to assume that I'll just let you run up to me and kill me!" The prisoner piped up, the madness in his smile bleeding out in full. "You think I came here to bargain for my life? You fools! You're the ones that will beg for mercy. And when I'm finally done with you two, I'll put your furs up on the market." His crazed stare moved from the two beasts, to their human companion. "Then once that's done, I'll see what kind of fun I can have with your lady friend."
If Flannel wasn't angry before, he was enraged now.
Nishiki couldn't stop him from transforming in time.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Flannel screamed, and rushed forth with inhuman speed. His voice was warped and hellish, a result from his mounting rage and recent transformation. "I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Out of nowhere, a magic tome materialized, and the dark mage flipped to an open page. He wasn't fazed whatsoever by the giant wolf aiming for his head. "Take this!" He cried out as a dark, pulsing wave of energy emanated from his body, spreading throughout the room like a shockwave.
Pieri grasped her lance, but fell over as the wave toppled her, morphing her surprised scream into a defeated groan as she hit the back wall of the interrogation room. Nishiki leapt over the magic wave, and transformed in the same instant. He landed on his four paws, and quickly swerved to the side.
Flannel had tunnel vision, because all he could see was red. The dark mage's eyes, his clothes, and his soon-to-be spilled blood were all red. They were a bright shade of scarlet, nothing like the dark hues of a mánagarm's fur, or the royal shimmer of a fox's fire. They weren't like Pieri's eyes, either, where the visible one was a deep red that was enriching as it was enchanting.
Flannel was only vaguely aware of the others as he dived for the dark mage. He swung one heavy arm down on him, and relished in the screeching agony that resounded from the enemy before him.
He managed to take an arm off with a ferocious swipe, and the limb thudded against the wall as it flew.
Checkmate.
"You beast!" The dark mage screamed, holding his stumped arm with the good one. The magic spellbook remained floating in midair, and the pages flipped frantically as if there was wind. "You'll pay for that! You all will!" Another incantation appeared, as magic symbols made of purple light surrounded this mage, and circled him like hawks over prey. Then the magic scattered and dispersed, carefully glinting—moonlight on a river.
Nishiki didn't realize what the magic's effects were until it was too late. The light reached him, and he felt his forelegs buckle as he succumbed. It was as if a heavy weight fell on him, and the clarity of his sight was mired by a thin fog that made the world look like it was behind opaque glass. As if the world was seen through a window, fogging up because of the dropping temperatures outside. Phosphenes of light danced in Nishiki's vision, and his muscles felt sore and unwilling to move.
He ignored it as he tried to salvage what was left of the situation. With a sudden urgency, his mind raced to Pieri, and he turned around to check on her himself. "Pieri!" he shouted in a half-energized voice. "Are you okay?"
"Fine…" she muttered. "Ugh, not really. That spell made Pieri tired. She can barely hold onto her lance."
Nishiki gulped, and looked up from Pieri, to the battle scene a few yards away from him. By some miracle, Flannel seemed to ignore all spells cast in his direction, as he kept bearing his heavy hands down on the mage's body. The conjurer was missing an arm and a leg, but through all the pain and misery, he continued to fight with full strength.
Nishiki knew the fight had to end soon, if they were to get out of this in one piece. He quivered from weakness, but stayed upright as he instructed Pieri. "Leave now and get Kamui and the others," he told her. "I can try to hold them off but we don't have much time."
She sat dumbstruck for a few seconds, most likely hazed by the weakening spell cast earlier, but also dazed from the sudden escalation of danger. She glanced between Flannel and the dark mage, back to the youko in front of her. Then, with unsteady hands, she reached out to Nishiki, and rubbed his ears. "Okay," she conceded. "Pieri will get help. Hang in there." She rose to her feet, and ran out of the interrogation room as soon as she saw that Flannel threw the dark mage to the wall.
When her image was gone out of sight, Nishiki steeled himself.
This wasn't going to be easy.
Yet, in spite of his good intentions, Nishiki found himself slow and reluctant to move. The spell that the dark mage cast earlier did a real number on him, because it felt as if his veins were full of ice instead of blood, and that the vivacious thumping in his chest decreased by the second. There was a grand desire to sleep and rest, but Nishiki knew that the moment he closed his eyes, this would all be over, and there would only be blood and suffering in his wake.
As he sauntered over, a dark and horrible realization washed over him in waves. The closer he got, the more he saw. And what he anticipated to be a fight wasn't a fight at all.
It was a massacre.
At some point, Flannel must have overpowered the dark mage. It must have been hard to fight back, when you were missing both an arm and a leg. But what was once a thin, lanky, blonde-and-red-eyed dark mage was now an unidentifiable shape of meat and blood. Flannel's claws were brandished and bloodied, tearing up, down, and side-to-side. He tore, tore, tore at whatever mass remained, not caring that the walls were soaked in blood, not caring if some muscle, bone, or tendon got grinded into indeterminate stains.
Not caring if slices of a person were coming off like cheese slices on a grater: one by one, until the bulk of the cheese-meat became a stub, and instead of silence, the air was replaced with sickeningly squishy noises.
Nishiki almost threw up at the savage display. They never ate people before, at least not like this. When Kamui accused them of eating those bandits they dispatched a while ago, they didn't have the chance to tell them that the bandits were simply dead, and their bodies were left in one piece at the bottom of a ravine. Although it wasn't uncommon for wolves or foxes to hunt on humans, they preferred less destructive species as their prey, and more often than not, human lives were taken out of revenge, rather than hunger.
But in this case, it was hard to tell which was which. Nishiki's legs trembled, still, and his fur felt light and cold as it did when he grew sick.
There was little time left to stop this monstrosity from continuing. He had to act now.
He leapt forward, and clamped his jaw around Flannel's shoulder. The wolf cried out in pain, and staggered backward, temporarily distracted by the fact that his ally was now turning against him—desperately trying to make him understand the situation.
"Flannel!" Nishiki screamed. "Flannel, stop! He's dead already, okay? He's dead!"
"NO!" Flannel's voice was deafening as he howled into the air. He shoved Nishiki away to try and subdue him. "STAY OUT OF THIS!"
"I won't!" Nishiki defied. "I won't do what you say!" In a movement more graceful than he thought capable, Nishiki pounced into the air, and bit Flannel's arm, fangs buried in coarse fur and stringent muscle.
Flannel screamed, and it was the most painful, pathetic sound Nishiki heard him make yet. His heart ached dully at the thought of being this violent towards him, but he knew that there was no other way to make him relent.
Even then, Flannel put up a fight as he raked the air frantically to try and throw Nishiki off of him. He fumbled for purchase, but eventually gave into his anger and yelled. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OFF ME! GET OFF!"
"NO!" Nishiki roared, finally matching Flannel's volume for his own. The strength it took to yell that loudly faded, however, as the lethargy seeped into his bones again. "Flannel, listen! He is already dead. There's nothing left there! Just stop it, already! Just stop!" He blinked against the headache he felt coming on, and added a desperate, "PLEASE!"
Flannel's body seemed to flare up in temperature and strength. A vague thought in the back of Nishiki's head wondered if it was possible to die of stress. If it was, then Flannel was in some deep trouble.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck Nishiki in the tail, derailing all his thoughts at once.
It was Flannel. And for a second, scarlet eyes met obsidian ones, but there was nothing in there except for a wild anger and uncontrollable vengeance. There was a small window of time where Nishiki could have slipped out of Flannel's grasp, but Flannel was far too angry to let a transgression like that occur in front of him. Without thinking, Flannel grabbed Nishiki by the tail, and swung him around in the air like an ax. After a few revolutions, he let go, and watched as Nishiki's body flung to the far side of the room. There was a sad and pathetic yelp that escaped his mouth as he collided with the wall, and all resistance faded as the wind was knocked out of him.
He was rendered helpless in a single motion. It would have been as easy to deter him, had the dark mage not weakened him and Pieri with the spell earlier. If he was at full strength, then Nishiki would have easily been able to outmaneuver Flannel, and he might have even stopped him. Now, with Flannel's anger running amok, Nishiki could do nothing but sit and witness the carnage he failed to prevent.
And yet, Flannel did not go off the walls any more than he already did. In fact, he didn't do much of anything—he only stood still in his tracks, wide-eyed and silent as if something terrible had happened.
His fury was a freight train: it hit hard and with full force, but it stopped as suddenly as it started. Everything halted to an ear-splitting screech, and as the white noise filled his ears and clogged his head, his vision finally expanded, and Flannel was finally able to see past the bloodshed and destruction.
The world seemed to crash down with him.
Oh Gods, he thought. What have I done?
Nishiki blinked, and wondered what it was that made Flannel stop his rampage. His fury from before faded away into stagnation, and there was nothing left of it except for a deep silence and heavy air. He couldn't have known it himself, but Nishiki's head was slightly cracked open from the impact—a deep gash ran through with thick streams of red and black. His tail was injured in the same way, as claw-shaped cuts began to run with crimson fluids, staining his once-beautiful, orange fur.
It wasn't until the blood from his head spilled into his eyes, did Nishiki understand what was happening around him. What was happening to him.
The last thing Nishiki saw was Flannel's large, trembling form, which broke free of the interrogation room, and ran to some other place beyond his sight. He howled and cried out all the while, a sharp yet remorseful voice which pierced the icy air.
Then his eyes closed, and everything melted away into darkness.
Into oblivion.
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A week had passed since then. The incident at the prison was noted, but due to Kamui's intervention, the consequences were averted as the town leaders accepted the achievements over the loss. And, according to Pieri's frantic claims, the dark mage was supposed to die, anyway. It took a bit of elbow grease, but all in all, the accident was overlooked, and everyone was able to move on.
Of course, the prison fight was all anyone could talk about over the next few days. The chatter always managed to die down whenever Flannel or Nishiki passed by, though. No one thought they were lesser beings for the incident, but there was an obvious and inherent fear lingering in their eyes.
Flannel snapped on his closest friend. What did that mean for the rest of his allies?
Thankfully, Nishiki never saw it that way. He mostly blamed himself for the event transpiring the way it did, but he also knew that the true blame was placed on that prisoner of theirs—the one that started a fight and weakened Nishiki and Pieri to the point that they were vulnerable. Had Nishiki been in perfect fighting condition, he would have never gotten injured the way he did.
Despite the severity of the situation, however, Nishiki healed up quickly. Sakura was the one nursing him throughout the process, and once he was conscious, she remarked on how easily his injuries seemed to have subsided. A head cracking open was nothing to sneeze at, and yet Nishiki was almost fully recovered in less than a few days. Of course, his body was far more resilient than humans were, and what were life-threatening injuries to the rest of the world were just hiccups in his usually immaculate health.
He was only unconscious for less than a day, and a few hours after that, he was just as aware and energized as he'd been before the fight. Even when all his physical injuries were fully recovered, Sakura insisted he come back over the next week to have the usual checkups and medicine intakes.
It was a formality, for sure, but Nishiki didn't mind. He enjoyed the princess' company more than usual, especially on days where they would laze away together and nap under cherry trees, or when Sakura would brush his hair lovingly.
Today was such a day, as Sakura ran the soft bristles through his tail. He purred happily, and even bowed his head before her, so she could pet his ears. A light blush settled on her face, and she reluctantly obliged (but completely indulged after the initial hesitation). When she was done, she tapped his tail lightly, as if to check its progress.
"I-It seems you're doing well," she murmured. "Er, well...I guess it's because you're a fox. If a human had your injuries, they, well, you know…"
"Would have died? Yeah, it's no wonder you humans are so fragile. Something like this is inconvenient, for sure, but not life-threatening."
"..." She merely stared wide-eyed at him, hands falling to her sides out of defeat.
He instantly felt bad. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sakura. I know I shouldn't joke around about stuff like that, I was just trying to lighten up the mood."
"Yeah," she muttered. "Trying and failing…"
"You're right," he agreed. "It's just that everyone's been so stressed out lately. Especially Flannel. He probably feels terrible right now."
Her eyes were downcast as she moved her attention from Nishiki's face, to the bandages wrapped around the base of his tail. She adjusted one side of the gauze before speaking. "I-If it helps, I-I know it's not his fault. Things happen in the spur of the moment, and, uh, well…" she sighed, and he merely smiled helpfully at her. The brightness in his face was enough energy to motivate her to keep speaking. "Everyone makes a big deal out of it, but...you're completely healed."
"Yeah, I am! So why is everyone acting like I'm not?"
"Is it my fault, maybe?" Sakura sniffed quietly, and rubbed at teary eyes with the ends of her sleeves. "I keep asking you to drop by, s-so they might think you're hurt…"
"Oh, I didn't think of it that way." Nishiki crossed his arms. "But that's a silly way to think! What if I like visiting you, huh? You're one of my favorite napping buddies, after all! And just a good buddy in general!"
She smiled happily at the praise, although the gesture was still sheepish in full. "I'm glad you think so. Which reminds me, I-I wanted to tell you something regarding Flannel."
"What about him?"
"Well, Elise told me that people like him...uh...need to be reassured that it's not his fault," Sakura hesitated to say, in fear of accidentally stepping over an unseen line. "Maybe let him know how you feel? Others will keep gossiping, but you and Flannel seem close, so." She shrugged.
"Sakura…"
"Or do whatever you want!" she suddenly squeaked. "I-I don't want to tell you how to live your life, Nishiki."
"No, I appreciate your advice, actually." He smiled widely, and affectionately nuzzled her arm as a way of reassuring her. "I'm sure Flannel would like to hear nice stuff like that, too. After I'm done cheering him up, you and Elise should come talk to him more. I know he seems like he's a meanie, but he's really nice, y'know?"
"Hee hee," Sakura giggled. "I figured as much! That's why Elise and I got him a present for his birthday that one time. But I-I'll keep that in mind, okay? Why don't you get a move on?" She started packing the extra gauze and medicine away, huffing quietly while doing so. "Those pesky dark mages, huh?"
"Yeah, for real. I should tell everyone to stop talking about it, honestly." Nishiki sighed deeply, and stretched his arms. "Okay, I'll be off now. Thanks for everything, Sakura!"
"Y-You're welcome. It's the least I could do! Healing is the only thing I'm good at, anyway…"
"That can always change, though!" Nishiki reminded her. "Anyone can swing a weapon around, right? But it takes real skill and practice to heal others! So don't sell yourself short, okay?"
"I'll try," she muttered. "I can't promise anything."
"Me either," Nishiki admitted. "Well, see you around Sakura. I'll tell Flannel you send your regards!"
"Please do."
And soon enough, Nishiki ran away from the healer's tent, and out into the open air. The current base of operations was adjacent to an abandoned village, one settled in the hilly countryside, surrounded by flat plains and grassland. Flannel could be anywhere in the area, but based on the soon-to-be setting sun and the cicadas' cries, Nishiki knew there was only one place in the world where Flannel would be, if it meant catching nightfall as it came.
Nishiki ran towards the hills.
Towards his destiny.
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Flannel was sitting on the highest hill, eyes trained towards the horizon. He was waiting for the sunset, because he knew that even from this distance, the sky would bleed into many different colors, and it would be a sight to behold. Normally, such an experience would be shared with Nishiki, but Flannel made a point of avoiding him ever since the incident at the prison. Even if days had passed since then, and even if all the damage had been fixed, there was still an overbearing weight of guilt settled on his chest and shoulders.
It was great to know that Nishiki healed easily afterwards, but that didn't necessarily stop it from hurting. Flannel was in despair over the thought that he could hurt the one person he cared most about in such a way. And without any hesitation, too! If only he had more self-reservation, self-control, then he wouldn't ever have to worry about going berserk on Nishiki ever again.
Nothing could comfort him at that time. Not even Nishiki himself, who walked carefully up the hill, and sat right next to Flannel. There was a weird expression on his face: some mix of confusion, sympathy, and relief. Although it was clear that he wanted to talk, Nishiki remained silent, and kept his gaze steady. He stared at Flannel for a long time, until he took a deep breath, and stared at the setting sun, instead.
They were quiet.
And the quiet left room for Flannel's mind to organize itself, lose itself in a frenzy of emotions and thoughts. There was regret, worry, anger, and pity. There was rage, indignation, fear, and misunderstanding. If he closed his eyes, he could still see that dark mage's insufferable grin, bloody regalia, and then nothing as he was torn to pieces. He could see Pieri's body, doubled over in pain, eyes squinted and barely open from fatigue. He heard her screaming, and then her footsteps as she ran for safety—away from Flannel, away from the scene.
He saw Nishiki, too. And in his mind, Nishiki was moving slowly, carefully, and thoughtfully. He was everything that Flannel wasn't, so he tried his hardest to make him see that what he was doing was wrong, and virtually useless. He could still feel Nishiki's teeth sinking into his skin in an attempt to anchor him. He heard his high-pitched screams—the sickening snap as he crashed against the wall.
He saw the way that the red colors leaked from his injuries like water, and how his body crumpled in on itself. Weak. Defeated. The silence between them at present was enough to let Flannel re-live everything, and he hated it more than anything. He hated the truth of their reality, which was that he hurt Nishiki, and straight up over-killed a stranger, all because of a grudge he held against them.
For his own sake more than Nishiki's, Flannel spoke up. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, eyes glued to the ground. "I'm really sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" Nishiki asked honestly. "It wasn't your fault, Flannel."
"Are you kidding me?" Flannel groaned. "I hurt you. I didn't listen to you when I was supposed to, and I hurt you. And I would have hurt Pieri, or anyone else, too, but you stepped in and stopped me. And how did I repay you?"
"By throwing me against a wall," Nishiki answered without missing a beat. "But I'm not just saying that to make you feel better, Flannel. It was technically not your fault that I got hurt."
Flannel blinked once, twice, then asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I don't know if anyone told you, but that dark mage cast a weakening spell on the room before he died," Nishiki pointed out. "Pieri and I got really tired, but you went on like it was nothing."
"Oh," Flannel deadpanned. "Well, uh, I couldn't tell. I didn't really feel most of his spells, anyway."
"I know, it was kind of impressive. I didn't think you were that good against magic, either." Nishiki smiled. "Were you wearing your medallion, by chance?"
"Yeah, and I'm wearing it right now." Flannel tugged on the medallion, which was worn around his neck. It fit so naturally with the rest of his ensemble, it was hard to tell it was there in the first place. "So what?"
"Protection charms, remember?"
"Damn." He whistled. "This piece of wood stopped the spells?"
"Either that or you were so angry that they didn't affect you anyway."
"Okay, but what does that have to do with—"
"I was weakened, so that's why I got injured when you threw me," Nishiki explained. "I wouldn't have gotten hurt otherwise."
He didn't know if it was Nishiki's words, or the way he said it, but Flannel felt incredibly silly for worrying the way he did up until now. "Well, jeez. Sorry for worrying about you, I guess."
"No, I appreciate it, though!" Nishiki laughed it off, as if nothing happened. "And to be fair, I shouldn't have been caught off guard by you in the first place. But it was my fault, too, that things happened. And it was kinda your fault, still."
"So what are you saying?! Do you agree with me or not?"
"I'm saying don't be so hard on yourself," Nishiki gently admonished. "I forgive you."
"...Okay," Flannel gave in. "Thanks."
"You're welcome! Thanks for finally talking to me again." Nishiki sat a bit closer, but not too close. Not yet. He smiled as he said, "If you don't mind, there is something that I've been meaning to ask."
"What is it?"
"How did he get there, anyway? How'd he get in the prison?" Nishiki's brows furrowed slightly as he thought hard. "You said you killed him, so—"
"That's the thing!" Flannel suddenly yelled. "That's the thing, I have no idea how the hell he was still alive. I already took care of him, I swore I did, and the others were there too! It just didn't make any sense."
"Still," Nishiki muttered. "You didn't have to be so cruel."
"Yes I did."
"How come?"
"He hurt you," Flannel repeated. Each syllable agonized him further, and he tried to stifle the worst of it by clenching his fists, and biting his lip. "He hurt you and he deserved to die. He tried to kill us before. He almost killed us this time! And Pieri got hurt, too. And then he told me something that made me really angry and I just—"
"Whoa, hold on a minute there," Nishiki interrupted. "You talked to him? All I remember was you two shouting at each other."
"You were too tired to notice, probably." Flannel rubbed at the back of his head awkwardly. "It wasn't like a full-length conversation. He just told me something right before he died."
"What'd he say?"
"He said that he was the one that pushed me off the cliff at the border mountains."
"What?"
"Then he said that it wouldn't stop at him. There's other people like him that want our furs, apparently, and they're willing to pull all kinds of stunts to get to us."
"So what did you do after that?"
Flannel smirked, all toothy and prideful. "Of course, I told him to wait for his friends in hell. Then I gutted him like a fish."
Nishiki rolled his eyes, and shoved Flannel with the least strength he could muster. "Show off," he murmured. "But also, ew. That's gross."
"It's what he deserved."
"I haven't heard that one before."
"I did it for you," Flannel cut in. "For us. Sorry I was so bad about it, though. I guess I should, uh, tell Pieri that I'm sorry for scaring her, too…"
"You haven't even talked to Pieri yet?" Nishiki gawked. "You're a bad friend, Flannel."
"No I'm not! I just—"
"You couldn't face her after all that embarrassment, huh?" Nishiki looked sympathetic, and Flannel admired the way he could change face without hesitating. As if it was second nature to do a complete roundabout in behavior. "Well, I know everyone's giving you a hard time about it. How about tomorrow, we sort them all out? It's weird to have people talk about you behind your back like that."
Flannel didn't have the courage to tell Nishiki the truth. The reason why he didn't talk to Pieri—or anyone, for that matter—since the incident wasn't because he lacked courage or initiative. Rather, he wanted to talk to Nishiki first, and he wanted to apologize in full before anything else. He spent all this time concocting the perfect apology, only for the feelings to be swept out from underneath him, all because of a crafty fox that approached him first.
It's just as well, Flannel thought to himself. I can't say no to a face like that.
"Yeah," Flannel falsely agreed. "Yeah, something like that."
"Well, no worries!" Nishiki smiled widely. "Your secret is safe with me. Let's talk to Pieri and the others tomorrow, though, okay?"
"Deal."
"Great. And we're just in time, too." Nishiki stood to his feet, and Flannel followed suit, looking a bit surprised at the sudden urgency. "The sun's setting! Look!"
The two of them watched as the last of the evening light lowered and lowered, until the round sun completely disappeared into the dark horizon. A lasting trail of bleeding pinks, oranges, and yellows followed after, but soon those would also be swallowed by the darkness, as the sky erupted in dark blues and blacks all over. It was bruise-like, those colors, and the white-and-gold stars intermingling the sparse universe were patches of light in the ethereal dark.
Like glimmers of hope in a hopeless world. Flannel couldn't help but smile at such a beautiful display. Although his and Nishiki's tastes varied greatly, they could both agree on one thing.
There wasn't anything quite as breathtaking as a sunset.
Anything except each other, of course.
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The rest of the night was spent lavishly, as the two of them went from sunset-watching to stargazing. They laid on their backs, and stared at the infinite void above them. After some moments of silence, Flannel pointed to all the constellations he could make out, conversing with Nishiki in his limited knowledge of astrology.
"That one is the Blue Lion. And over there is the Black Eagle," Flannel said. "Right over the Moon Goddess' Arm."
"Her arm? Does she have a separate constellation for each body part?"
"Yeah, it's kinda weird," Flannel admitted. "But I didn't make it up first, so."
"Right. You forgot the Golden Deer," Nishiki chided in a light tone. "Next to the other two, right?"
"Oh, I guess you're right." Flannel sighed as he let his hand fall to his chest. "I wish I was good at telling stars better."
"You might not get lost as often if you knew~" Nishiki teased. "Seriously, it's almost impressive how easily lost you are!"
"I don't get lost! I just, uh, get sidetracked. And then I forget where the original destination is. Sometimes." The more he added on, the less credible he seemed. Flannel noticed that, and tried to make up a great big excuse for what was one of his greatest faults. "Asama once said that it's not about the destination, but the journey. So there."
"Since when are you an Asama fanatic?"
"Since never. Can you just let me have something, for once?" Flannel conceded and Nishiki laughed. The two of them sat up, and leaned forward with their heads tilted towards the sky. It felt like routine, at this point. "I never get lost when I'm with someone else, though."
"You got lost with me a few times before."
"I was distracted!"
"Really?" Nishiki had the most insufferable grin on his face, that if it weren't for his innate beauty and grace, Flannel might have punched him, instead. "And what was so distracting, then, huh?"
"You."
Silence. Flannel realized that the truth slipped out of his mouth, unfettered by the usual stupid excuses he had for lying or concealing his feelings. No tricks, no denial, no half-truths made up at the last minute. There was only real, substantial, lasting truthness, and it showed when neither of them said anything—both of them were too busy parsing the singular word and multiplied meaning said just now.
Nishiki broke free of the stupor first. "What do you mean, Flannel?"
"I, uh…"
"I distracted you? How?"
"It's not a bad thing," he quickly covered up. "The opposite, actually. You're a good distraction."
Bright, amber eyes widened out of surprise, then out of understanding. "Oh, so you're complimenting me?"
"Yes!"
"Ah." Nishiki smiled at what he felt was familiar territory. "Well, that's a weird way to put it, but thanks!"
"You're welcome." Although this should have been the moment where he felt relief, Flannel only grew anxious, instead. There was something stirring within him right now, and it wouldn't rest until it got what it wanted.
Until it got what he wanted.
There were still truths to be told; now was a good time as any to start speaking them into existence. Flannel gathered his courage to do this, although to outsiders, that appeared as nothing more than a deep sigh, followed by him hanging his head low, and wringing his wrists over and over again.
Nishiki couldn't have missed those signals, even if he tried. "Flannel, you look like you want to say something."
"..."
"If there's something bothering you, you can always tell me." Nishiki moved closer, until their legs were almost touching, and Flannel could feel his warm breath scrape against his skin. He resisted the urge to shiver as Nishiki said, "I don't mind. Even if it's about me, I'll listen to your worries."
"Are you sure about that?" Flannel asked. Each syllable that escaped his mouth sounded more nervous and pained than the last. "You might regret it."
"If it's you, I can't regret anything." Nishiki smirked. "At least, not for too long."
"You're so nice, it's annoying."
"Wait, what?"
"I don't know how to respond to you when you're like that sometimes," Flannel simply said. "You just say things and I don't know how to react to them. It's weird."
"So, are you saying...that you want me to talk less around you? So it's less weird, or whatever?"
"No, that's not it."
"Then what is it?"
"On second thought, I don't think I can say it." Flannel ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. "I can't believe I brought this up now…"
"Flannel!" Nishiki whined. "Just tell me, already. Don't leave me in suspense."
"No, seriously, I think it's better if I keep my mouth shut."
"I want to hear it."
"No, you don't."
"You don't know that!"
"I seriously do."
"What's wrong, Flannel?"
"Nothing's wrong," he insisted. There was an annoyed edge to his voice, but nothing too harsh. "It's just that—"
"It's what? You kinda suck at talking sometimes, but you never suck this badly."
"See, that's the thing, I don't know how to say this, so I'm not going to say it." He crossed his arms like a scolded child. "So, I'm just not going to say it!"
"Is it a feeling?"
"Huh?"
"Are you feeling some sort of way?"
Yes, his heart confessed inwardly. Badly.
Immensely.
And it's because of you.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Nishiki—"
"Just say it, Flannel."
"That's not so easy to do!"
"And why not?"
"Well, it's just—"
"Yes?" Nishiki leaned in closer. So close that Flannel could see the golden flecks in his brown eyes shining from the starlight above them—so close that Flannel could feel the strands of luscious hair brush against him, sending chills down his spine. So, so, so close that his heart could leap out his chest any minute, leaving nothing but a bloody and broken corpse. So close that even a whisper of a whisper could be heard, and when Nishiki's voice lowered into dangerously soft, dulcet tones, Flannel felt the last bit of his will unfurl. "It's just what, Flannel?"
"It's just, it's just…"
"Yes?"
A sudden realization came to the wolf. Why was he so afraid of his best friend, anyway? They fought for each other, they bled for each other, they shared meals and dreams and heart-to-heart conversations with each other. They did so many things together up until now, that it felt silly to be so tongue-tied over something as simple as this. While he was partly shamed, Flannel was now thankful that there was a burst of courage within him now, because it would make saying this next part so much easier.
"It's just, I really want to kiss you right now." He tried not to stare at how pretty, pink, and smooth Nishiki's lips looked, but failed in momentary glances.
The words hung in the air, unanswered.
Nishiki picked up on them quickly enough. "Okay," he said. "Then what's stopping you?"
"Absolutely nothing."
Flannel reached forward, and placed his one hand on the side of Nishiki's face. Nishiki smiled at the contact, and closed his eyes against the soft touch. Flannel reached further and further in, until his fingers tousled sunset-colored hair, and he could feel the warmth gather underneath the surface of Nishiki's skin.
He brought his face closer to his, and Nishiki's eyes fluttered open at the sudden movement. They were so close that their lips hovered over each other, a blink away from connecting, but so far away as the bare wisps of their breaths brushed over their faces. They were stuck there for a moment, staring at one another as if to ask, are we really going to do this?
They answered themselves the second their lips connected. Flannel inclined forward, and took the initiative, snatching Nishiki's lips in between his own, meeting their soft touch with a force of passion. And, Gods, it felt like everything fit perfectly. It was as if their lips were made for each other—that their skin only existed to collide and touch. The embrace they shared was like sunshine and lightning, with each second spent in a euphoric warmth and excitement.
Flannel was like the night. He was dark and forceful, but cold to the point where Nishiki felt shivers all over him, especially when Flannel became more adventurous, and let his hands roam everywhere on his body: face, sides, arms, neck. His touch was light, ghostly, and exhilarating that it left Nishiki feeling haunted and heavy—like Flannel was sinking into his very core. Then his long, glorious, unruly hair worked like starlight between his fingers. The more Nishiki ran his hands through Flannel's hair, the more he felt like a cosmic entity, dividing the galaxies apart with unmatched power. And when his fingers strayed from his hair, and fell unto Flannel's face, neck, and hands, he found that despite all the blushing he did, Flannel's body was unceremoniously chill to the touch. It felt like diving into cold water, and despite the haze and shock that settled over him, Nishiki wanted more. So he sunk deeper and deeper into his embrace, until his heartbeat became more erratic than the ocean waves, themselves.
Nishiki was like the day. He was bright and patient, but warm to the point where Flannel smiled into the kiss, basking in the loving energy that radiated off of Nishiki like heat. His touch, his body, was more present and real than anything Flannel felt in a long time. Like fire, there was something thrilling, exciting, yet terrifying about falling into Nishiki. But Flannel admired that sort of courage, and so he took more and more of it in. He let Nishiki explore his body, too, and laughed when he got a spot near his neck that was particularly ticklish. And yet, he didn't want to know what it was like when they finally parted, so Flannel pulled Nishiki in closer, closer, and closer, still. There was no waxing poetic about the fact that it truly felt as if he was lazing in the sun just then, but instead of a star, Flannel found something much, much brighter.
Happy hums and quiet moans were exchanged for desperate gasps, as each kiss demanded more and more from them. It wasn't enough to leave it at harmless kissing, though, so they went as far as to bite, until their lips bled from the edge of sharp teeth—until their mouths went raw from it all, wanting more and less at the same time. They kissed again and again, until their hot and cold melted into a single feeling, and their day and night brewed a storm so loving and electric, it left them dizzy.
It felt like an eternity until they parted. And when they did, they found themselves engulfed in darkness, with a full moon over their heads and thunder in their hearts. The only sounds were those of their slightly labored breathing, which morphed into silence, or—in Nishiki's case—deliriously happy giggles.
Flannel wiped his thumb over Nishiki's lips, rubbing away the remnants of blood and passion. Nishiki laughed, and did the same to him, until Flannel grasped his wrist mid-swipe, and pulled him hard. He ended up crashing into Flannel, although once he realized it was Flannel's heartbeat going fast in his ears and not his own, Nishiki melted into the embrace, and laughed casually into the air.
"See? Was that so hard?"
"Incredibly. You have no idea."
"It's only difficult because it's your first time," Nishiki teased. "Looks like you need to get some practice in."
Flannel scoffed. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Is it a bad thing?"
"With you? Never," Flannel whispered, and brought Nishiki close to his chest.
Close to his heart. "And that's the truth."