#( ` ok lbr byakuran is a cheater he has all the cheat codes and no one would’ve stood a chance )

[vanaglorie]

❰❰ PIN ❱❱ sender pins receiver during a fight/training ( dino :) )

It’s been far too long since Byakuran has been in actual combat, and it wouldn’t do at all to get rusty. Thankfully, the Cavallone headquarters happens to be equipped with a sparring and training room. It’s spacious and furnished with all kinds of equipment and dummy weapons. Byakuran raises his arms up high in a good, long stretch and lets out a sigh. His muscles are still a bit stiff from the morning chill; nothing a little bit of a warm up won’t fix.

He eyes Dino who’s already making his way to the other end of the sparring mat, with Romario who’s sitting off to the side as spectator and referee, of course. Wouldn’t want the poor boss to trip over his own feet! Dino was probably the only one in the entire place who could keep up too. Not that his subordinates weren’t well trained; they were good practice when Byakuran was still recovering. Besides, Byakuran can tell that he’s clearly looking forward to this little match.

“I hope you’re not thinking of going easy on me,” he calls out. Dino had already put aside his whip because it would be “unfair”, or whatever. Byakuran had rolled his eyes at the notion, but hadn’t wanted to argue about it. So, it was good old hand-to-hand for now. Dino had discarded his jacket and was clad in a simple t-shirt. Byakuran eyes the tattoos on the other’s arm with… interest.

As soon as they’re ready, Romario blows the whistle that signals the start of their match. In a blur of motion, Dino closes the distance between them to land a strike. It’s fast, but Byakuran sees it coming, and with a sharp swing, grabs his arm and redirect it away from him. They exchange blows this like for a while, neither really gaining the upper hand on each other.

It’s obvious that Byakuran is on the defensive this time round, not taking the aggressive approach like he has in his previous spars with Dino’s men. To Dino, it’s their first time fighting each other like this. As for Byakuran, well, it’s not so simple. The information from his past forays into different worlds and his encounters there flood his mind and his body reacts accordingly all from muscle memory. He’s been here before, but it was far more dangerous, more bloody and high stakes. It’s… quite annoying, really. Byakuran frowns ever so slightly, and he doesn’t even bother to retaliate the next attack that comes in.

He feels his feet leave the ground and his back hit the mat with a solid thump. The air is pushed out of his lungs and his eyes widen as he looks up to see Dino straddling him, pinning his arms down on either side to keep him in place. Everything seems to come to a stop as their eyes meet; there is only the sound of their breaths, loud, heavy and quick. The weight of Dino on top of him is, unexpectedly, far from suffocating and for some inexplicable reason, Byakuran doesn’t even try to throw him off.

What seems like an eternity passes before Romario blows the whistle again, and Byakuran snaps back to the present moment. Dino stands up and offers him a smile and a hand for him to pull himself up with, which he accepts.

“Oops. You got me.” Even as he says it, the words feel sour on his tongue, but he plasters on a sheepish grin anyway. “As expected of the Bronco. Poor old me never stood a chance~” It’s safe to say now that he’s anything but rusty. He remembers everything. As he looks at Dino, he feels his heart twist. He remembers everything. But he also remembers Dino’s weight on top of him from mere moments ago, warm and solid and very, very real. Maybe this time, just maybe, he could be okay.