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This is the Iwatobi White Day 2014 shoe locker for koukoros!
Here are some GIFT IDEAS:
Characters/Pairings/Moresomes:
- Characters: Haru, Rin, Kou, Mikoshiba would be amazing
- Ships: Makoto x Haru, Makoto x Rin, Haru x Rin, Rin x Ai, literally anything with Kou in it hahaha and Rei x Nagisa... I'm not that big into ot3+ but I'm always willing to try things c:
- Platonic ships! Haru x Rei, Makoto x Nagisa, Nagisa x Ai
Likes: I also have a weakness for tragic AUs (PacRim fusion, etc), cute AUs, historical AUs, alternate timelines/canon divergence, Rin being (awkward?) fluffy, Makoto being amazing, everyone swimming a lot, and Samezuka uniforms ouo (basically a lot of AUs)
Dislikes: Cheating fics or anyone bullying Makoto ahaha... also no Omegaverse or wetting kinks, please!
Anything else: I prefer sweet over hot if you're going to go nsfw c: Thank you so much!!
Here are some GIFT IDEAS:
Characters/Pairings/Moresomes:
- Characters: Haru, Rin, Kou, Mikoshiba would be amazing
- Ships: Makoto x Haru, Makoto x Rin, Haru x Rin, Rin x Ai, literally anything with Kou in it hahaha and Rei x Nagisa... I'm not that big into ot3+ but I'm always willing to try things c:
- Platonic ships! Haru x Rei, Makoto x Nagisa, Nagisa x Ai
Likes: I also have a weakness for tragic AUs (PacRim fusion, etc), cute AUs, historical AUs, alternate timelines/canon divergence, Rin being (awkward?) fluffy, Makoto being amazing, everyone swimming a lot, and Samezuka uniforms ouo (basically a lot of AUs)
Dislikes: Cheating fics or anyone bullying Makoto ahaha... also no Omegaverse or wetting kinks, please!
Anything else: I prefer sweet over hot if you're going to go nsfw c: Thank you so much!!
tags:
happy white day from iwatobi-chan and ellen
koukoros talking!
no subject
Rei stares up the length of the flue, calculating the width. His glasses slip when he looks back down and he pushes them up with one hand. "I can make it." Without waiting for Nagisa's derisive snort, he twists to his feet inside the chimney and starts up, brush hand leading, a dance of precision and restraint as he shimmies up and up, scraping away the filth without being scraped himself. Satisfaction fills his smile.
Pushing out of his slouch as soon as Rei's feet disappear, Nagisa strips naked in anticipation. He tips his head back as he follows, by soft grunts and steady shuffle, his partner's progress.
The shuffling stops.
There's a sharp grunt, a flurry of kicked-down soot.
Then nothing.
Nagisa watches the midpoint of the chimney expectantly.
"Nagisa?" Rei's voice wafts down with the ashes settling on the hearth.
Nagisa smiles silently.
"Give me a hand, would you?"
Nagisa ducks inside the chimney opening. "What's that?"
"I'm, uh..."
"Stuck again, are you?"
Rei's sigh drifts down to him with the soot now dusting Nagisa's smiing face. The words "so not beautiful" get tangled in the next sigh that floats down.
Smiling even wider now, Nagisa wordlessly disagrees.
_____
NOTES: Because even the thinnest layer of clothing could make the difference between getting through and getting stuck, chimney sweeps in Victorian England would sometimes strip off entirely when cleaning a chimney. They referred to this practice as "buffing it."
koukoros talking!
this is adorable oh man oh man REI DARLING... getting stuck haha i can completely picture this happening!! and ahh hhhh thank you so much for feeding into my victorian au obsession hehehe (and that last line, so beautiful... nagisa + rei as chimney sweeps is such a cute idea, thank you again for sharing it with me!!! i hope you had a great white day c:
Re: koukoros talking!
From Ad_Astra - Part 1
- Dani
Title: The Air That You Breathe
Pairing: Nanase Haruka / Tachibana Makoto
The apartment is silent when Haruka steps into it, empty of Makoto’s usual welcome. Haruka frowns, tosses the car keys into the nearby shelf, and walks further into their shared apartment.
“Makoto?” he calls out, as he steps into the kitchen.
No answer, but Haru spots an orange post it on the fridge.
A crudely drawn picture of an orca is there in place of a name. Makoto’s art skills improved little since they were still in school but at least Haru could recognize his little doodles now. He smiles, remembering the time Makoto begged him to teach him how to draw basic animals. He checks his phone and sure enough, the text is there.
He feels a little annoyed that Makoto didn’t just call him, knowing Haruka’s track record when it comes to texts but it’s not often that Makoto does this, so he lets it slide. He keeps the note on the fridge and goes about preparing his dinner. Makoto left him some spicy miso ramen, probably a leftover from when Rin dropped by last night.
As he watches the digital numbers of the microwave counting down, he thinks about what Makoto could be doing now, and without meaning to, an uncharacteristic bout of worry grips at him.
He’s just having fun, he assures himself. Everyone loves Makoto- the guy is the chemical equation of all the positive heart tropes in the universe- sweetheart, bleeding heart, heart of gold. He’s probably just out being usual amiable self, unconsciously flirting with everyone, possibly unconsciously seducing some--
--No. Haruka shakes his head, refusing to finish that sentence even in his head. He picks up his ramen, brings it to the living room and switches on the television. He’s not going to think about it. If there is one truth that Haruka knows, it’s that Makoto is irrevocably faithful to him (and vice versa).
Still, he can’t help it. Makoto’s gentle nature makes him an easy target for peer pressure. Haruka’s imagination goes wild-- what if Makoto got drugged or drunk or stoned or forced to participate in juvenile games like beer pong, and subsequently gets too blitzed to go home or—
No, he’s being silly. Makoto may be kind, but he’s not stupid.
With some effort, he manages to stop himself from calling Makoto and potentially ruining his fun. Instead, he slurps at his noodles, wrinkling his nose at the spicy taste, and fixes his eyes on the screen, watching it but not really seeing anything.
koukoros talking!
From Ad_Astra - Part 2
Except it is. It’s twenty seven minutes past one in the morning, the left side of the bed is empty, and Haruka cannot sleep.
Frustrated, he gets up, and reaches for his phone. He presses one and puts it on speaker. The phone just sounds of static for a few moments before a pre-recorded message plays out.
Out of reach. Of course.
Haru swings his feet to the floor. It’s a cool spring night, but he’s sweating, his heart beating an irregular pattern against his ribs.
Makoto’s not home and Haruka can’t reach him.
Before he knows it, he has thrown on some outdoor clothes, and is walking out the bedroom and into the foyer. He grabs his wallet and car keys from the nearby table, heads out the door and into the night.
There are police sirens near the area and Haruka grips the steering wheel tighter, as he tries to figure out where they’re headed.
He’s driving down a hill when he sees the ambulance. And then, smoke.
He immediately finds the nearest parking space and parks the car. He steps out, not even checking to see if he locked it properly and runs towards the crowd of onlookers surrounding the burning building. The closer he gets, the clearer the snatches of conversations become.
“He tried to save that last child.”
“That man is a hero.”
“Such a sweet face too.”
“He will be missed.”
There’s a stretcher being carried, and from his vantage point, Haruka spots a mop of sandy brown hair peeking out from under black sheet.
He feels his blood run cold.
He runs pushing aside people, not caring who he’s shoving anymore. His chest hurts, like he’s running out of air, like his blood has been replaced by nothing but liquid fear, the sea of people pressing on him, crushing him, and Makoto.... Makoto....
“Haru?”
Haruka’s heart leaps to his throat at the sound and he whips around sharply.
koukoros talking!
From Ad_Astra Part 3
Haruka doesn’t feel himself move. People are nothing, solid weight is nothing, and he stumbles through the crowd with a strength that is almost manic, wanting nothing but to close the distance between him and Makoto.
Makoto’s look of surprise breaks out into a worried smile. “Haru I can ex--” he starts, but is cut off when Haruka crashes into him, hard enough to almost knock them both off-balance, fists clenching around Makoto’s sleeves.
“Don’t,” Haruka hisses, as he pounds a fist against Makoto’s chest with each word. “Ever. Do That. Again.”
He doesn’t realize how badly he’s shaking until Makoto reaches up to hug him tightly, and he can feel the vibrations of his own body resonating off Makoto’s.
Makoto’s voice is full of regret. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.
“You weren’t even answering your phone.”
“The place was a deadspot Haru; and you know how much of a battery drainer searching for a signal is—“
“—I don’t care.” Haruka’s being unreasonable. He doesn’t know what he’s asking Makoto not to do, all he cares about is that is never happens again. He’s exhausted, and for a few agonizing minutes, he honestly thought Makoto has left him forever—he has every right to be unreasonable. “Don’t do it again.”
Makoto looks at him, understanding. “I won’t,” he promises softly, and hugs Haruka tighter.
The people around them slowly drift away, as the fire gets contained, the air smelling like acrid smoke and artificial petrichor. Haruka slumps forward, letting Makoto take all his weight. He has never felt this exhausted before, running on empty, and trying not to hyperventilate has taken a toll on him. Makoto notices this and chuckles, before untangling himself from Haruka and crouching down, an invitation to hop on for a piggy back ride.
For the first time in pretty much ever, Haruka doesn’t huff or make any theatrics about not being a big baby, and just slumps forward, wrapping his arms around Makoto’s neck, and allowing his legs to be buoyed up by Makoto’s strong arms.
“Where did you park the car?” Makoto asks, as he walks.
Haru lifts his hand and vaguely points out the direction of the car. He doesn’t feel bad about wishing Makoto would take longer to walk-- he has missed being coddled like this, missed Makoto holding him up almost effortlessly, missed the feeling of Makoto’s strong solid back against his chest, his heart beating just a few inches away from Haruka's own.
Haruka presses his nose on the nape of Makoto’s neck and breathes deeply. It smells faintly of aftershave, clean sweat and some smoke, which annoys Haruka a little bit, his mind reeling back to that moment of terror, but Makoto is here, and he’s real, and that’s all that matters.
~fin~
koukoros talking!
HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO DO THIS TO MY FEELINGS
gosh i feel so incredibly grateful and amazed like NOT ONLY did i get makoharu from you IT WAS MILDLY ANGSTY MAKOHARU (i love angst okay... although you already knew that) and oh... oh man i am SO GLAD THAT MAKOTO IS OKAY you really did a number on me there
ANYWAY i just wanted to say that i absolutely love this piece. i love the ending esp sdklfjdslf how haru just COLLAPSES AGAINST HIM AND "dont ever do that again" SOBS
I LOVE HOW HARU MISSES MAKOTO BEING SO STRONG AND SLKDFJDSLKJF
I FEEL LIKE THIS WAS SO REAL
I'M KIND OF INCOHERENT RIGHT NOW
THANK YOU SO MUCH A MILLION HUGS AND BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATES FOR YOU
Hunger Games AU; Makoto/Rin+Gou (1/2)
Makoto looks dead.
Rin doesn’t say anything. He wants to reach out, wants take Makoto’s face into his hands and pepper hard kisses onto the skin streaked with with brown and black—soil and ashes and that tiny dry leaf stubbornly clinging just under his jaw. Sometimes he finds it hard to believe that he could fall so hard and fast for someone he only knows for a few months, but it’s Makoto, and as Haruka had told him back when they were in that training room, comparing muscles and discussing the best weapons: If you don’t at least crush on Makoto a little, you might not be human.
Such exaggeration coming from Haruka is sort of ridiculous. Rin barks a small laugh that sounds like a cough. Gou turns a questioning gaze on him, and Rin notices the way her cheeks are sunk, the way her eyes are red-rimmed and puffy, and once again he remembers why he’s still here.
They’ve agreed. Haruka didn’t even flinch when the flood of water hits and his grip slips, didn’t even look scared when the water carries him away, just stared right back at Makoto and Rin and Gou, who could do jack-shit except scream and cry.
Gou hadn’t stopped crying until this morning. Makoto was the first time to stop crying, exactly right after the cannon goes off fifteen minutes after they last saw Haruka taken by the water.
Haruka was gone. Just like that. And Rin, with tears still streaking down his face, watched Makoto’s face slowly shut down, watched his eyes turn blank, and realized that something inside Makoto had just gone up and left together with Haruka.
It’s frightening. Even more frightening because Rin feels almost the same, except he still has Gou, and he still has a reason to move forward.
They’ve just only reached a cave near the lake when the cannon goes off again. Twice.
Rin stops dead in his track, for a second unable to comprehend the sound, because other than the three of them there should still be Nagisa and Rei left, and they’d promised to meet up at the main boulevard, just another three hours walking to the east from where they are right now. He’d counted—he’d counted each and every single sound of cannon, and with it crossing the list of the Tributes in his mind one by one, and just now—
Makoto breaks the silence with a terse, “Did it just—twice?”
Gou covers her mouth with one hand, tears already welling up. “Oh my god,” she whispers, her voice this close to hysteria. “Oh my god.”
“Get in the cave, Gou,” Rin hisses, one hand pushing Gou forward and forces her to stumble down inside. He turns to Makoto, for once looking up at him defiantly, because it’s just the three of them left, and Rin isn’t going to give away Gou’s chance of living, not even to the person he’d fallen in love with.
Makoto stares back at him blankly.
“So,” Rin says, throat thick. “What are you going to do?”
Makoto keeps their eyes locked for several moments, quiet and painful, and Rin knows acutely that Makoto realizes it, too—if they stayed here, the three of them, they’d be killed. Now that it’s come down to this, those bastards out there are probably watching gleefully, excited at the prospect of how these three Tributes are going to decide who gets to get out, who gets to live. Excited to see what kind of drama would unveil, and Rin feels sick when he imagines the bets going around all over the country, people putting his money to see him dead, or Gou dead, or Makoto dead—
“Can I,” Makoto says, and Rin snaps to attention. “Tell you something?”
He shifts on his feet, one hand ready to snatch the blade hanging on his hip. He loves Makoto, god, he loves Makoto so much, and it’s unfair that Makoto’s probably never going to know it, it’s unfair that he’s going to have to kill Makoto in order to get his sister out. “What.”
Makoto smiles, and Rin sees a flicker of the old Makoto—kind and happy and careful—back. His knees nearly buckle; he’s missed this Makoto.
“I wasn’t going to,” Makoto tells him, and Rin watches as the taller man pulls out his daggers. “But Haru made me promise. You should tell Rin, he said. At least make something good out of this wretched place, Makoto. That’s what he said.”
“What are you on about—“Rin falters when Makoto drops his daggers onto the ground. “What—“
“You’re going to have to kill me,” Makoto tells him, quiet and calm, and Rin stares at him in horror. It’s different, Rin realizes, having to kill Makoto because Makoto attacks him, and having to kill Makoto because he asks Rin to. “Gou-chan’s the one who’s going to win. We agreed on that.”
“Haru and I agreed on that,” Rin retorts harshly, voice shaking. “You’re not obliged to—you don’t have to—“
“Haru’s decision is mine, too,” Makoto smiles. “I want to make this right for you, Rin.”
“Fuck you,” Rin curses, eyes wide as he watches Makoto pulls his gun out of his bag. “Why don’t you kill me first, then? Why do I have to kill you first, I—“
“Because you’ll have to see it to yourself that Gou is the last one left.” Makoto steps forward, his gun in hand, stretched out for Rin to take. “You’re her brother. If I killed you here, I’d have the chance to win. I could just kill her and win. But you won’t.”
“You won’t.” Rin barks out a laugh, bitter and resentful, not that he realizes that yes, even if Makoto killed him first, Makoto would still let Gou win. The fear and shock at the last two cannon shots had made him foolish. It’s ridiculous, to think that Makoto would attack him or Gou in order to live on. “You’re—fuck, you won’t. I trust you enough for that, Makoto.”
Hunger Games AU; Makoto/Rin+Gou (2/2)
“Haru would’ve trusted you.” Rin shoots back, and that’s cruel, he knows that when Makoto’s face turns wrecked for a moment. “I trust you, too. More than anything now, Makoto. You’re going to have to kill me first. Gou would be angry. She wouldn’t have any qualms finishing you off. You know she wouldn’t.”
“I can’t—“ Makoto breathes, harsh, and he’s shaking so hard, it’s a wonder he doesn’t fall to his knees. “I can’t kill you, Rin, I can’t. I can’t.”
“Sure you can.” Rin steps forward, snatching Makoto’s other hand and forces him to handle his blade. “Come on, Makoto. It’s easy. You just—you can either use your gun or just run this thing through my chest. It’ll be fast. It’ll be over before you realized it—“
Makoto physically recoils from him. “No--!”
Rin tightens his grip, keeping the two of them close. “You can. You can do it, you can kill me—you’ve done it before, you killed that Kaede guy for us. It’s the same, Makoto—“
“I don’t want to kill the person I love!” Makoto cries, and Rin freezes.
Everything is quiet, everything is silent. Somewhere far away the thrushes sing, the sounds haunting like a funeral song.
“….what…?” Rin breathes weakly.
Makoto’s head is down, his breath coming in fast gasps, and Rin realizes he’s crying. He’s crying. Rin had made him cry. But Makoto said—Makoto said—
“I love you,” Makoto repeats, voice completely wrecked that Rin could barely make out what he’s saying. “I’ve been in love with you. For months, I—Haru made me promise to tell you. I never had the courage—but I don’t want to kill you. I don’t want to go without you knowing either.”
“Makoto—“
“I’m sorry,” Makoto whispers, quiet, and something Rin breaks.
He lets his blade fall, twists Makoto forward and leans up, crushing their lips together even before Makoto had the time to protest. The gun drops with a dull thud, Makoto’s whole body freezing in Rin’s hold for a second, before he reacts, before he pushes against Rin with the same desperation, before the kiss turns into a filthy one, all teeth and bites and tongues, and Rin finds himself wishing he could take Makoto deeper, deeper, so he could forget that they need to kill each other, they need to—
“Rin,” Makoto gasps against his lips. There’s a growl that Rin belatedly realizes coming from him, but it’s lost into Makoto’s mouth, swallowed forever with a groan, and Rin foolishly, childishly, thinks, there’s something of me inside of you.
“Fuck you,” Rin tells him, even as Makoto’s hands find his head and hold it in place, fingers sliding into Rin’s hair. “Should’ve told me when it mattered, fuck you—should’ve told me when we had time—“
“I’m sorry,” Makoto breathes. Rin swallows that, too. “I’m sorry.” And he kisses Rin again, and again, and Rin hasn’t the slightest idea how long they stand like that, just kissing each other so desperately and refusing to let go of each other. He thinks he hears something inside the cave, thinks maybe Gou slips out and right back into the cave again at the sight of his brother kissing Makoto.
That’s just as well. He doesn’t want Gou to see what’s going to happen.
“I’ll kill you,” Rin whispers against Makoto’s jaw. “You’ll kill me too, how about that? We can die, together, like this, and Gou would win. Gou would live.”
“Don’t let her see,” Makoto murmurs into his hair, and Rin nods.
“Yeah. Don’t let her see.”
Rin lets go of Makoto and bends down, picking up two daggers off the ground. He gives one of them to Makoto, curls his fingers around the hilt so tight he could feel his nails biting into his skin. Makoto has the tip of the dagger against his chest now, right where his heart beats, and Rin swallows, settles the tip of his dagger right where Makoto’s heart is, too.
“One push,” he tells Makoto. “One push, and it’s over.”
Makoto’s eyes never leave him. “On three.”
“On three.” Rin agrees. Makoto’s other hand finds his, holding it tight, like a promise that they’d find each other, after this. A promise that they’d make something good out of this, like Haruka had wanted.
Neither of them closes their eyes. “One,” Rin says.
“Two,” Makoto murmurs.
Rin takes a breath, opens his mouth, and—
“I’ll pull the trigger.” Gou’s voice comes, calm and firm, and both Makoto and Rin stiffen before turning towards the cave entrance.
Gou stands, straight and tall, a gun pressed against the side of her head, defiant eyes staring straight at the older boys, and Rin is so shocked that he nearly drops his dagger.
“Gou!” He barks. “Get that thing away, now!”
“No.” Gou steps back. “Get away from each other, get away from those—those weapons, and I’ll put this away.”
“Gou-chan—“ Makoto begins, about to step forward, but freezes when Gou presses the gun harder against her head. “No, Gou-chan, listen, we’re going to get you out, okay, you’ll win, and—“
“I’m not watching you both killing each other just so I could win!” she shrills, but there’s no trace of the hysterical tone that had underlined her voice just before she went into the cave. “I’ve had enough, I’m not losing my brother, and I refuse to lose you as well, Makoto-senpai! If you used that dagger—one or the both of you, I’m going to pull the trigger.”
Rin’s blood runs cold. “Don’t joke about it, Gou.”
“I’m not.” She stares up at Rin, eyes fierce. “I’ll pull the trigger. See if I won’t.”
“If you pull the trigger,” Rin says slowly. “Makoto and I would push the daggers. One push. We can do it faster than you.”
“If you want me to die, Oniichan, sure. Shove that dagger into Makoto-senpai’s chest. We’ll see if which death is faster, by bullets to the head or dagger to the chest.”
A terse silence fall over the three of them; each so close to their own death, staring at each other, not blinking, not stepping back.
And then.
And then that voice echoes over the arena, booming loud and panic. “STOP!”
None of them move. Rin stops breathing for a second.
“Stop! Stop, uhhh—well, it seems we’ve got our winners!” The voice announces, and Rin sees Gou’s eyes widen, feels Makoto’s hand in his tighten. “Ladies and Gentlemen, your applause, please, for the three winners of the 70th Hunger Games!”
The dagger falls loose from Rin’s slack fingers, and Makoto drops his own, his hand gripping Rin’s own so tight it hurts. “What—what happened—“
“We won,” Rin whispers in disbelief, because he’s alive, Makoto is alive, Gou is alive. “We won, Makoto, we won—“
Gou makes a wrecked noise, throws away the gun, and leaps at the two of them, gathering them into her arms, trapping them into a crushing hug.
Amidst the overwhelming relief, Gou’s cries and the feel of Makoto’s lips kissing whatever part of Rin’s face he could find, Rin closes his eyes and lets himself fall to the ground.
~0~0~0~
koukoros talking!
TELL ME WHO YOU ARE
P L E A S E
THIS WAS SO GOOD OH MY GOD
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU OH MY G OD...... SERIOUSLY WHO ARE YOU I NEED TO LAVISH GRATITUDE AND AMAZEMENT AND ADORATION UPON YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE
THE MAKORIN
THE GOU!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR INCLUDING GOU IN HERE THANK YOU FOR NOT WRITING HER OFF THANK YOU FOR HAVING RIN MAKE THAT CHOICE
G OD.... i had to pause to recover from haru + rei + nagisa AND THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING. i think my heart was going to burst when makoto confessed.. i think my heart did burst when they kissed h h hhh you lovely, fantastic writer, how is it possible for you to make me feel this way, i can't even express....>?!?!??! this is like everything i need in my tragic au consumption i just... i'm SHAKING THIS WAS SO GOOD....... i am blinded thru my tears.......
i sound like a broken record but i honestly can't say thanks enough times
you showed me the best sight i could ask for
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[MakoRin] Historical Medieval AU
He and Haruka seem to notice each other at the same time; Haruka abandons his conversation half way and marches over to Rin. Rin can tell that he must be sore from the way he walks, his stilted movements restricted by more than the chain mail and armour that confines him. Rin himself has a cut running up the side of his cheek and probably a cracked rib or two.
"Where's Makoto?" Rin's voice is low and urgent. His heart drops when Haruka meets his eyes.
"I was hoping that you would know. No one has seen him for hours." Haruka's jaw is taut with worry. "Rei and Seijuurou managed to get information from one of our prisoners - the only reason they have any force to fight with is that the children of two of the biggest clans are being held hostage."
That explains a lot. But it doesn't tell him anything about where Makoto is.
Haruka sees the steel in his eyes and nods once. Then he turns back around, fists clenched, and walks back towards the men he had left moments before.
That's all the permission Rin needs.
He hurries west, the direction that Makoto's platoon had been deployed, and keeps an ear to the ground. Although the battle has been won, there's no telling how many of the enemy's troops had fled and survived when the belated call to retreat had been sounded. His shield feels heavy on his arm after hours of fighting, but Rin keeps his sword steady. He can't afford to die now.
He treks across the abandoned battlefield cautiously, giving each corpse he passes a cursory glance just to make sure that none of them stare back with glassy eyes the same shade of green that he seeks.
The further he travels, the more bodies he finds. Rin has never been squeamish; he's always known that knight's work is far from the glorious picture painted for pages in the capitol, has always known the cost of protecting the kingdom and the blood that must be spilled to maintain order. But the thought that brave, gentle Makoto could be among them makes him feel sick.
Darkness has begun to drown out the light of the sun, when Rin finally stumbles across a splatter of blood on the ground but no body from which it would have come. More specks of red form a trail around to the right, disappearing into the trees where the forest begins.
Rin curses and follows, glad that the spatters are growing bigger and thus easier for him to see, but also queasy with worry as his gut eats away at itself at the implications of this. The splatters turn to smudges, and when Rin ducks to inspect it, he sees that it is not entirely dry.
He's close.
His hands tremble for a moment before he tightens his hold on the grip of his sword.
As he nears a small clearing by a brook, the air is knocked from his chest.
Makoto sits propped against a tree, his helmet and chest plate missing for some reason. There's a long gash up one of his legs, and his hair is matted with blood. Rin can only see one of his eyes, but it's unfocused and slightly bloodshot.
"Fuck."
Makoto squints up, as he hears the oath leave Rin's lips. His eyes go wide, his mouth opens-
"You stay away from him! We won't let you hurt him!"
Three children have scrambled from the bushes behind Makoto's tree and have lined up in front of Makoto, forming a barrier between them. One wears Makoto's helmet, another is swallowed by his chest plate. The third holds Makoto's boot knife in two hands that tremble.
Rin glances over his shoulder once, to check that the coast is clear. Then he sheaths his sword and raises his hands.
"I'm not going to hurt him; I'm a friend of his. And it looks like he's hurt and needs help."
The children look from him to Makoto, eyes full of distrust. They only acquiesce and step aside at Makoto's word.
Rin passes by them swiftly to kneel beside Makoto.
"Shit. Shit. What the hell are you doing here, Makoto, everyone's back at camp all ready."
He tears strips from his tunic as he talks, not caring in the slightest when he has to hack into his family's sigil. He uses each strip to try to bandage the gash in Makoto's leg; it looks deep, and he has no idea how much blood Makoto has lost already.
He tries not to think of the trail he'd used to find them and how pale Makoto looks as he dips a strip of his tunic into the creek and dabs at the wound just above Makoto's left ear.
Makoto's eyes flutter shut at the contact and sighs.
"These children were hostages-"
"Ah, yeah, Haru mentioned them."
"...You need to take them back with you, Rin."
Rin freezes.
"What the fuck do you mean by you."
Makoto reaches forward, wincing in pain as he does, and takes Rin's free hand into his own.
"I'm not going to make it, Rin."
"No."
"Rin-"
"No. You don't get to do this. We'll both take the brats back, Rei can take a look at you - he's the smartest healer in the realm, he'll patch you up good as new. We just have to-"
"Rin. Please. There's more at stake here. You know that."
Rin wants to punch something. Because he does know. And he hates it.
He doesn't even care the children are probably staring at them. Nothing matters except Makoto.
"...I don't want to leave you here."
Rin's voice is small - smaller than it's been for a long time. Makoto's fingers squeeze his weakly. He's struggling to keep his eyes open by this point.
"You won't be," he whispers, and Rin has to duck forwards to be able to hear him. "I'll always be with you. You still have that ring I made you in the forge when we were pages, right?"
Rin chokes on something between a laugh and a sob. "Yes. It's on the chain around my neck, with father's pendant."
Makoto lifts his other hand, and at his prompting, Rin slides the glove off. Then his breath catches. Because on Makoto's baby finger is the Rin's splotchy attempt at a reciprocating ring.
They had only been children at the time.
They're still barely more than children.
Rin tries to blink the tears from his eyes as he leans forward, letting his forehead rest against Makoto's.
"I love you," he says, letting his lips press against Makoto's one final time. He feels the words shaped against his mouth as Makoto whispers it back to him.
And then he's gone.
Rin takes several moments to compose himself, before forcing himself to pull away. He'll have time to mourn later.
Finally he turns to face the children; the children Makoto had given his life to protect. Rin will be damned if he lets that be in vain.
They have a war to end.
--
Happy (belated) White Day! I kind of took the Tragic Historical AU part of your prompt and ran with it; I hope you enjoyed reading it! (though now that I think about it, it's kind of depressing for having been written for White Day, Um. Sorry about that orz) Also, apologies if there are any mistakes! Its unbeta'd, and I should really be asleep already but I wanted it posted before the deadline!
koukoros talking!
I'M KIND OF SPEECHLESS
I DIDN'T THINK ANYONE WOULD ACTUALLY DO TRAGIC BUT THIS IS WONDERFUL
THIS IS DELICIOUS
thank you so, so so so s o soso much, this is extremely amazing, and incredibly sad, i can't even -- how did you -- just -- wow, just wow and oh, the ring part killed me, goodness, i couldn't believe what i was seeing... i tried to hold out hope FOR THE ENTIRE FIC but
it's perfect
you're perfect
makoto as literal knight in shining armor is perfect
thank you so much!!!!!
Re: koukoros talking!
Glad you don't think it's too overdone at least haha<3