#A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964) () | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

twst-aceofhearts · 20 days ago

Text

Frustration

a/n: gift for @waterthatsmoe :P [mafia au]

tw: weapons (just a dagger), mentions of guns

pairing: epel x gn!yuu

words: 1964

taglist: @luxaryllis @thegoldencontracts @waterthatsmoe

Epel’s breathing is short and raspy, as he keeps avoiding Yuu’s attacks. Finding the perfect opportunity, he tries to slash them from behind. It would’ve been perfect—

—if he hadn’t tripped over his own foot…

Due to Vil’s orders, Yuu had been assigned to train Epel. He was already good at using long-distance weapons, but melee weapons were another story…

“Leave me alone…” Epel groans when Yuu tried to help him up, choosing to stay face-down on the ground in despair.

“...Hah…Epel, we have to continue, you know,” Yuu sighed, nudging him in the side with their shoe.

“Why…? Why? Why? I keep failing anyway…” He groaned miserably before rolling around to lay on his back, gazing at the ceiling. “I can’t get it right, no matter how many times we try!”

“Okay, uh…” Yuu rubbed the back of their neck, unsure of how to comfort him. “Let’s…take a five minute break, hm?”

Seeing that Yuu was going to let him rest for a little bit, Epel lets out a relieved sigh, sitting up with a groan. He glanced down at himself, realizing now that his legs and arms are covered with small scratches left by the training dagger.

“Five minutes?”

“Mhm. Go get yourself a drink from the vending machine. You’ve earned it,” Yuu handed him a dollar.

Epel stares at the bill for a second, taking it from them hesitantly. He stood up and walked towards the vending machine, the tip of his ears and cheeks pink from embarrassment and frustration.

Returning with a bottle of water, Epel sits down and takes a few gulps. Even his breathing was uneven, showing just how much of his energy was already used up.

“...This is hopeless…” He mumbles, resting his head against his knee, followed by a sigh that escapes through his lips.

“Don’t say that. You’re already great with long-distance which is actually harder. You just need more practice,” Yuu hummed, shaking the fatigue out of their wrist and hands, then popping their knuckles. “After break we’ll start again with a dummy. I need to see what you’re doing wrong.”

Epel nods in response, taking another sip from his bottle and glancing at Yuu, watching them shake their wrists and hands.

“Maybe…” Was his simple response. He’s pretty sure where he’s going wrong…and that’s just about everywhere else.

After a few minutes of silence, Epel looks over at Yuu. “Are we going to start again?” He asked, and once again they nod in confirmation whilst dragging the dummy out of the closet, causing him to sigh and stand up. He’s definitely not looking forward to falling all over again… but it’ll be worse if Vil finds out he’s been slacking.

Yuu grumbled to themself about the stupid amount of wires and cables on the dummy, somehow managing to set it up. Correctly, hopefully..

“Have at it,” Yuu stepped back, leaning against the wall as they watched Epel face the dummy on.

Seeing Yuu move back, Epel takes a deep breath and approaches the robot. He’s determined to get this right…and he’s definitely going to prove to them and himself that he’s not just good for a bow and arrow.

Raising his dagger, he slashes at the practice dummy, but as expected, it doesn’t go very well. The dagger barely even scratches the dummy’s exterior plating.

Epel sighs, lowering his dagger again. “...This is impossible.”

“...do it again,” Yuu pursed their lips, their eyes roaming over his figure—looking for any bad habits.

Epel looks over at Yuu as if they were insane, but goes along with it.

Grinding his teeth, he raises his dagger again. He’s not trying anything fancy this time, attempting basic attacks. No luck—most of them miss, and the ones that don’t aren’t even strong enough to scratch the exterior of the dummy.

Frustrated, Epel throws his dagger to the ground and clenches his fists. He really did want to get better, but apparently his body was cooperating.

“I’ll let Vil or Rook work with you on stamina and strength.. But, have you tried using your entire torso instead of just your arms?” Yuu pushed themself off the wall, going over to pick up his dagger.

Epel stares at Yuu like they had just told him the sky was green. ‘Using your torso?’ He wanted to snap at them and call Yuu weird..but he’s getting desperate.

Crossing his arms, he glances away, his expression pouting a little. “...No, I haven’t. Should I…? I thought you were only supposed to involve your arms and wrists.”

“Maybe, but your movements are awkward and unnatural,” Yuu gently grabbed his hands, guiding him through the motions.

When Yuu suddenly grabbed his hands, Epel immediately started to get flustered. His ears turned light red, and his stomach felt like it was twisting in knots. This kind of gentle and reassuring contact—he isn’t very used to it.

“Got it?” Yuu looked up at his face after explaining. It’s obvious that Epel was way too distracted by Yuu holding his hands to pay attention, so much so he could feel his expression burning up at an alarming rate. He’s way too flustered to focus on what they’re trying to teach him at this point.

“Huh?” He manages to squeak out, his voice higher than usual.

“Like this,” Yuu demonstrated once more.

Epel let out a frustrated sound once they repeated themself. Now’s no time to get flustered! He takes a few deep breaths and tries to ignore the warmth flooding to his cheeks.

Following Yuu’s instructions, he attempts to use his torso more…but it’s still awkward. The movement feels unnatural, and he almost ends up tripping on nothing.

“Careful—” Yuu warned, catching him before he face-planted into the hard floor. “This is gonna be a while…” They let out a sigh, followed by Epel’s.

He’s so incredibly frustrated with himself, and he’s ready to just quit entirely. He wishes he was just naturally talented at using melee weapons like Kalim and Ace.

“You’re right…” He mumbles, looking away from Yuu and trying to fight down the oncoming wave of emotions. He doesn’t need to add bursting into tears like a child to the list of things going wrong today.

“Epel? You okay? Talk to me,” Yuu’s eyebrows furrowed in concern, standing him upright and rubbing little circles on the small of his back.

At first Epel doesn’t answer. With a clenched jaw, he looks down at the ground for a few seconds, trying to maintain his composure. However, he ends up breaking down, and he leans into Yuu, burying his face into their shoulder.

“I can’t even use a dagger correctly..this is pointless…” He mutters, not bothering to hide the shakiness of his voice.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry, hm? We’ll figure this out. Together,” Yuu reassured, pulling away a bit to wipe his tears.

Epel blinks back tears, taking a few deep breaths. He feels like an idiot for crying, especially over something so petty. A few seconds pass of him just focusing on calming himself down, before he hesitantly speaks again.

“I’m sorry,” His voice is quiet now, lacking the usual enthusiasm. He’s exhausted, and he looks like he’s about to fall over at any second.

Yuu pats his back, pulling him closer again. “You didn’t do anything wrong, don’t be sorry.”

Epel’s shoulders tense a little as Yuu gently pat his back, but he appreciates the gesture. He’s not used to getting physical affection—it’s nice.

“I think I need a break…” He sighs, sounding just as emotionally drained as he looks. He’s glad Yuu was here to comfort him, leaning more into them.

Yuu nods, sitting down on the floor, scoot back to lean against the wall, before they gently pulled him down with them.

“You can lay your head on my lap,” they murmur, stretching out their legs forward.

Epel follows their lead, flopping onto the floor and his head making its way onto their thighs, letting out another long sigh. He was completely worn out, both physically and mentally.

“How do you manage to do everything so easily?” He looks up at Yuu, seeming genuinely curious and a little confused. He doesn’t understand how they manage to be so talented at everything. It makes him feel rather pathetic.

“I have no idea, to be honest,” Yuu murmured, leaning their head back against the wall.

“You have to have some clue…I mean—you managed to easily adapt to using a brand new weapon,” He pauses for a moment, closing his eyes before speaking again. “I’ve been using guns for ages, but I still struggle with a dagger, which is smaller and easier to use. It doesn’t make any sense…”

“Hm…” Yuu hummed. “You should try putting those long-distance skills to use. Instead of slashing, I think you should try stabbing instead…it might be better for you.”

“Stabbing…?” Epel opens his eyes and looks up at Yuu.

“I guess that makes sense. I mean… it’s a lot different than a gun…”

He pauses for a moment to think. It would definitely make sense, and it would probably suit him too.

“...But, wouldn’t that just make me look like an assassin or something?”

“...I mean, we’re still killing people either way…”

“Yeah, but a stab wound just feels different, y’know?” Epel pauses, trying to put it into words.

“...Like—guns feel more fair. You kill from a distance, and there’s a chance your opponent can defend themselves. But if you’re up close with a knife, they stand almost no chance,” He shudders a little just thinking about it. “...I’d rather be a few feet away at least.”

“Epel, there’s no such thing as ‘fair’ when it comes to being in the mafia. I mean, you read the NDA before signing into this agency, didn’t you?

Epel goes silent. He did read it. Plenty of times, trying to familiarize himself with everything in it—but it’s an entire legal document, he’s not an attorney… Of course, even he knows that Yuu is right. There’s no such thing as fair in an illegal organization.

“...I guess…” He mumbles, sounding a little hesitant.

Yuu sighed, gently running their fingers through Epel’s lilac hair. “I know this goes against your morals, but you chose this life. We can’t afford to hesitate on an order.”

Epel doesn’t say anything in response to their statement. Yuu made a completely fair point. He did choose this life…and he’s well aware of what kind of life it is, even if he tries to deny it.

He falls silent again, just enjoying the feeling of Yuu playing with his hair, sighing occasionally.

After a few minutes of laying there, Yuu felt Epel shift the tiniest bit, adjusting himself to be more comfortable. He looks up at Yuu, his eyes not as tired-looking but still holding an unreadable expression.

“Yuu?” He suddenly speaks, his voice quiet.

“Hm?’

“Thanks,” It’s obvious he’s not just referring to the whole helping him train with a dagger thing. More than that, Yuu comforted him when he cried.

“...it’s nothing, Epel. Really.”

Yuu felt Epel nod again, and then he closes is eyes again, seeming content. He actually feels safe here with Yuu—something he doesn’t feel with anybody else.

“Can we just lie here for a little?” He asks, his tone softer than usual.

“Of course. Just stand up and punch the dummy or something if you see Vil walk in,” Yuu let out a small chuckle.

Epel lets out a quiet laugh, a small smile briefly flickering across his face.

“Got it,” he hums in response, keeping his eyes closed. The two of them remain there in comfortable silence, though he does scoot a little closer to Yuu. He feels at peace, and for once, he’s not worried about anything.

credits to @cafekitsune for divider

#athena fics #twisted wonderland #twst #twst yuu #twst epel #epel felmier #epel x yuu

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