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causeitsagame · 1 year

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Fic: Aquila (5/?)

Pairing: Hajime Hinata/Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

Author:@miggylol

Notes: You know that meme about how "I love how Tumblr users play with jpegs like dolls"? That's how I feel about this fic, but with characters.

Previous Chapters: in the tag.

Excerpt: Fuyuhiko looked straight ahead. "If you ever want to talk about anything else, I'll always be up for listening."

Hajime smiled lopsidedly. "I'll probably never want to talk about anything that happened in the Project, honestly." His voice wavered and his gaze fell. He hadn't shared that memory earlier because he'd wanted to; it'd happened without his intent or permission. "Sometimes I might need to, though."

"If you ever need to talk, then."

"Thanks. I might take you up on that."

-----

The busted pens and coops were fixable, and so there was a path to solving the animal problem that had consumed the first island. "Did we warn the others to look for any chickens hiding in the boat?" Hajime wondered as they aligned a board for what would once again be a goat pen.

Fuyuhiko's gaze flattened as he pictured the animal population exploding onto other islands, too. Then, he visibly forced it out of his mind. "Wait, there's a problem. We forgot—"

"—A hammer," Hajime agreed as he stared down at the fence they were trying to fix. The old barn held extra boards and nails, but workers were apparently supposed to tote their own tools with them. Something caught his eye, and he bent down to palm a large, flat rock. "Don't worry, I've think I've got it."

From where he steadied the far end of the board, Fuyuhiko looked curiously at what Hajime was doing. "I guess that could—"

With nearly his full strength, Hajime slammed the rock against a protruding nail. A single blow buried it deeply in the aged hardwood post.

"Work," Fuyuhiko blankly finished, and couldn't help but stare.

"It'll work," Hajime agreed, and reached for a second nail.

Hours later, there was again a functioning ranch. Much of the fencing had still been usable, but even occasional holes had taken a long while to fix. The scope of the real islands felt very different from a small, tidy simulation, and a supply of animals steady enough to serve so many tourists needed big pens. After checking the lengthy fencing one last time, Hajime idly tossed the rock aside. Its surface was now marred by dozens of chips and scratches. He'd used some real force to hammer in those nails.

"And now, we try to track the fuckers down," Fuyuhiko prompted. "I saw a lot of animals near one of the hotels."

Recalling which one was being referenced, Hajime nodded and set off in that direction. The chosen path soon angled under foliage, thankfully, as the sun had grown demanding by this time of the day. That was another way in which the simulation had padded them in bubble wrap. Here on the real islands, they'd traded 'perpetual warmth' for 'actually damn hot, sometimes.'

"Hey."

Musings about whether that hotel would have working water for them fled Hajime's mind, and he glanced over to Fuyuhiko. Dappled light slid over the other man as they walked under the trees. The light occasionally caught his iris and gleamed like the sun had found its way to Earth. With real effort, Hajime focused on his words, instead. "Yeah?"

Fuyuhiko looked straight ahead. "If you ever want to talk about anything else, I'll always be up for listening."

"If you ever need to talk, then."

"Thanks. I might take you up on that."

Fuyuhiko nodded, a quick jerk of his jaw. "Seems like the least I can do." His tight stance silently finished his statement: since I can't slit the bastards' throats, or put bullets in some skulls.

Hajime smiled again, then focused on how the two of them were here, now, instead of in that dying city from his dreams. In comfortable silence, they walked another five minutes before a very different topic escaped him. "Are you going to be fine with telling everyone about… you know?"

Confused, Fuyuhiko glanced at him as they walked. "We already talked about this. I'm taking the girls, yeah? So long as we don't ruin anyone's routines, they shouldn't whine too much."

"Right, I remember the plan. I just didn't know if you'd have a problem with telling them…" Hajime walked a few more steps, and did not complete his statement.

The meaningful silence only seemed to annoy Fuyuhiko, and he lifted an impatient hand to prompt Hajime to finish his thought.

There seemed to be one obvious explanation for why Fuyuhiko had uncharacteristically panicked on that first night, but being obvious didn't make it an easy topic to broach. So, Hajime just dumped the words messily in front of them. "Since we're guys."

Fuyuhiko actually drew to a stop, and blinked at him in clear confusion. "Huh?"

Okay, that wasn't the expression he'd expected. "I figured that's why you freaked, that first night. I hadn't really felt that way either, before," Hajime admitted. "But then I realized… that… hey, don't give me that look. It was a fair question to ask."

"You thought I'd have an issue with you being a guy," Fuyuhiko said, "and so you chased me down to my cottage and shoved your face right up into mine."

"At the time, I wasn't really thinking about—" Frustrated, Hajime cut off. What had the problem actually been, then? Was it simply been the surprise of feeling attracted to a friend? Of being worried about changing their relationship? Those options didn't seem right, either, for Fuyuhiko had sounded outright panicked and angry in equal measure. "Okay, fine. Then, just tell me why you ran off during that night on the beach."

"Right. That." Fuyuhiko's expression darkened further, and his gaze darted around toward anything but Hajime. "Don't worry about it."

"Hey," Hajime protested. Fuyuhiko had sped his pace, and he had to jog a few steps to catch up. "Hey, I told you something big. Can't you at least give me this?"

"I thought you didn't say that stuff on purpose," Fuyuhiko grumbled, but his words lacked their usual bite. Whatever the problem was, it had to pale in comparison to what Hajime had said, and he could hardly argue with a one-to-one trade under those conditions. After another few steps, he stopped, looked away, and muttered, "It's because you had me pinned down. I couldn't move at all."

Hajime's empty hand closed and opened where he'd held his rock-hammer, and he really considered the necessary force to do what he'd managed dozens of times. Fuyuhiko wasn't exaggerating; when Hajime pinned him like that, he'd as well be able to escape from a block of solid concrete. There was absolutely zero chance that he could even change his position, let alone break free. "Oh. Sorry?"

"I don't want to react like that when I feel… weak." Fuyuhiko spat the last word, and frustration filled his expression. "That's why I wanted you to get off. I know you're stronger than me. Than anyone. But that's not supposed to feel like a good thing."

Oh, Hajime realized with a dawning deeper awareness. This was actually bigger than he'd expected. Fuyuhiko had faced an entire lifetime of feeling like his own body was working against the role he'd been born into. Men that should have deferred to him by birthright instead scrutinized him to see if he was up to the task, and some even threw their (considerably greater) weight behind someone else. And then, while feeling helplessly slight and slender, he'd actually been turned on. Yeah. That'd fuck with his head.

Hajime considered the various angles of the situation, then suggested, "Maybe it was just being close? We weren't ever usually like… that." No, as friendly as they'd been, they certainly hadn't been on top of each other, or moving with short, breathy jerks.

Fuyuhiko looked at him with an instinctively stubborn glint to his eye, but he didn't argue against the idea that things were different than his worst-case scenario. "That's true enough."

"Uh… here," Hajime suggested, and walked over to a gentle, grass-padded slope under a broad tree trunk. He sprawled on the ground, with his back half propped against sturdy wood, and looked up. Fuyuhiko looked down at him with confusion. Above him, sunlight glinted through the shifting, wind-blown trees like it was reflecting off moving water. Hajime extended his hand. "You be on top, this time."

Startled, Fuyuhiko's cheeks darkened. "What?"

Grinning, Hajime stretched out his hand a bit further, insistently. "C'mon. Try sitting on top of me, this time. You'll know that it was just the two of us being close like that, if it still feels…" His humor suddenly fell away, and Hajime felt his own cheeks flush warm. His realization that he'd never even kissed anyone else before returned with abrupt, embarrassing force. When he continued, his voice rumbled lower. "If it still feels good."

With a slow nod, Fuyuhiko approached Hajime and studied him uncertainly. After a few uncomfortably long seconds, he declared "Fuck it," and straddled Hajime with none of his usual propriety.

The sudden weight on his thighs caught Hajime's breath in his throat, and he looked up at Fuyuhiko as he felt his heart speed. Dappled light still danced across him. Although a pleasant breeze had picked up to rustle the leaves and palm fronds, Hajime felt a sudden blazing heat wash over his body. Mindful of not holding Fuyuhiko in place, he ran his hands along shoulders, down arms, and finally forced his hands to grip the grass at his sides instead of the body on top of him.

Fuyuhiko stared down at him with an eye that had grown so dark that it glinted like the night sky. His uncertain hands traced down the thin cotton shirt over Hajime's chest, then up to gently hold his face. Their gazes met. For one painful moment as he stared into Hajime's eyes, Fuyuhiko's expression warped in renewed sympathy over the story he'd heard. His grip locked more firmly in place, and with deliberate intention, Fuyuhiko closed his eye and leaned down to meet Hajime's mouth with his.

Hajime's hands gripped the grass they held nearly hard enough to tug out clumps of earth. I'm letting him test this, he reminded himself as he forcibly kept his hands from roaming over the lithe body on top of him, like they wanted. Letting him take control.

The kiss deepened and Fuyuhiko's hips instinctively moved against Hajime. Now, Hajime's hands tightened enough to actually rip out the grass by its roots. Laying like this was taking every ounce of control he had, and a low, needy groan built deep in his chest.

"Hey."

Hajime's eyes flew open. "Yeah?"

Fuyuhiko's eye was half-lidded, and looked glassy under his heavy eyelashes. "You're right. I think… I think it was just us being close."

His arousal-fogged mind took a second to work through that. Good news, yeah? Fuyuhiko wasn't worried about what had turned him on, anymore? "So, I can hold you?" Hajime clarified. The words took effort to form; by now, some blood had migrated away from his brain.

Nodding, Fuyuhiko leaned back in. Hajime's hands instantly shot up to palm the side of his head and run down the curve of his back. He rocked his hips upward and felt the movement echoed against him. Pleasure and disbelief and raw need filled him, and for a while, Hajime reveled in not thinking.

"Wait," Fuyuhiko eventually said, though he sounded regretful.

The part of Hajime that was still governed by logic had expected this. The part of him on hormonal autopilot couldn't help but let out a pathetic whine of protest, soon stifled. Fuyuhiko had the most rigid sense of propriety that Hajime had ever encountered, and even after everything, it still mostly held. He probably didn't think that going further was solely for the bonds of marriage, but it was definitely for something more serious than 'only a couple of days.'

After he'd let out that instinctive complaint, Hajime very deliberately moved his hands away from Fuyuhiko, allowing him to stand up if he so chose.

Fuyuhiko didn't immediately stand, and as Hajime was reminded of the hot need burning in his own body, he thought he knew why. "Sorry," he murmured. "Just… this isn't supposed to be out on the grass like a couple of damn animals."

Hajime looked up at him through half-closed eyes. Fuyuhiko's face really had grown a bit more angular as he aged, and the work they'd needed to do was carving out muscles. Above him, dappled sunlight glinted and danced, and a breeze through the trees kept the temperatures in shadow as perfect as they'd been in the simulation. "Oh? Could be nice."

Closing his eye, Fuyuhiko breathed deeply and, for a long moment, did seem to consider it. "Not… the first time, anyway."

Fair enough. If he wanted Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu—and Hajime clearly did, he thought with fogged amusement—then this was all part of the package deal. "Sure. You've got it."

Nodding, Fuyuhiko took a while to bring his breathing under steady control, then eventually climbed off him. Smiling ruefully, Hajime brushed away a few blades of grass clinging to him and took Fuyuhiko's offered hand to rise to his feet. They set back into silent motion. After a minute of awkward travel, Hajime said, "So. If I'd just flipped us over that first night, this could've all gone pretty differently."

Fuyuhiko's cheeks darkened and Hajime grinned. It was actually kind of fun to get that reaction from him, now that they were going down this path. "Not on the beach, either," Fuyuhiko mumbled.

"Never?" Hajime wondered, his grin widening.

"I already said." Fuyuhiko cleared his throat. "Not the first time."

Not the first time, right. But, after that…

A smile stayed in place as Hajime's memory roamed over the islands. He found himself thinking of the cultivated expanse of the fourth island. Here, it wasn't an oddly out-of-place theme park, but rather a single and almost impossibly manicured all-inclusive resort hotel. Now that he looked at it in a different light, there had to be some very interesting nooks and corners to claim.

The day wound steadily down and their ardor further calmed with each passing hour. By the end of the day's work, they were roping goats, carrying chickens, and laughing about how life's path had led them to do those things. "We're good for a while," Hajime announced as he and Fuyuhiko returned to the hotel restaurant, and displayed the roosters that they both carried in each hand.

Kazuichi stared at the birds with renewed sadness. Akane cheerfully reached for one and began plucking its feathers.

"Akane, please do that outside!" Sonia insisted, shooing her out. She handed over another of the birds to Kazuichi and indicated the same direction to him.

"Me?" he asked uncertainly, and looked at their dead dinner in his hands.

"Our own work was not especially draining, today. Meanwhile, Hajime and Fuyuhiko have exerted themselves on this project. I think it only fair if we shoulder this labor now." Sonia brightened. "I may even prepare the food, tonight!"

Kazuichi looked worriedly at Hajime.

Hajime nodded back in return. I'll supervise. Sonia had culinary dreams as grand as the greatest dining halls of Europe, and zero training to achieve them.

Relieved, Kazuichi nodded back and walked to join Akane.

"I will also help them," Sonia said, and grabbed for the two remaining birds. "But I just wanted to speak to you two privately, first. Regarding Hajime's intention to also move out of the hotel and into the cottages."

Fuyuhiko frowned. "Yeah? What's up?"

Sonia looked between them. "Will that location be enough privacy for you two, or should I again take Kazuichi and Akane to another island tomorrow?"

The men froze. After a moment, Hajime echoed, "Privacy?"

"For your romantic trysts." She took in their shock and murmured, "As court intrigues go, this is… fairly rudimentary." Her expression crinkled in amusement, and she added, "Unless I'm mistaken about the rapidly shifting dynamics between you two? Although I cannot think of any reason why repairing ranch fences would give you grass stains on your back, Hajime."

If they'd been planning to make another argument, their mutually red faces would have ruined it.

Sonia's amused gaze gained even more certainty, and she turned for the door.

For a moment, there was silence. Eventually, Fuyuhiko spoke up. "That counts as telling her."

#kuzuhina #hajime hinata #fuyuhiko kuzuryuu #my fic #fic: aquila

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