Chapter Text
Yamato's head was in the clouds again, he felt no remorse for what they were doing, nor for their uncontrolled moaning. Although he did regret trying it in such an uncomfortable place as the bathtub.
The reason they were taking such liberties was that his parents would be away that night. They had discovered this earlier that day.
After a long morning of fighting, both young men had ended up with multiple injuries. What worried Hajime most was a large bruise on Yamato's stomach. He hadn't told him that the reason for the bruise was Takiishi. Endo had a feeling that Umemiya wouldn't like that very much.
When they got to Yamato’s home, they found a note on the table. For Yamato, it was like going back to middle school. He used to spend all day outside with Takiishi because his parents traveled overnight for work. At some point, they had stopped doing that. He thought he had heard that they had been promoted and could work from the office or home. Maybe things had changed.
“Harder,” the words came out with effort. His arms and elbows were braced against the sides of the bathtub. He was afraid of slipping, but at the same time, he trusted the two hands holding his waist.
Endo used his arms to lift his body, as his legs wouldn't respond. It was exhausting, but he completely ignored it to pursue the pleasure in his lower body and tried to open his legs wider. He wasn't sure how deep Hajime's member was inside him, but it must have been a lot, because his boyfriend's gaze was fixed on that union.
He tried to get his attention by sinking completely into the water, causing it to overflow, and bringing his lower parts as close as physically possible but directing his body backwards. He let go of his arms with all his strength and allowed himself to be submerged in the water, momentarily.
“It's harder than I thought,” he confessed.
“Does it hurt?”
“Yes, but...” Neither of them had finished, and the water seemed to bring more cons than pros. “feels like it’ll last forever.”
He moved his hips superficially, causing them both to moan at the same time. The truth was that he didn't want to leave it half done, even if he was tired. One of the hands on his waist moved up his back to pull him closer.
Hajime's kisses are always tender and abrasive, making Yamato melt, but they are in water and he feels himself fading with every second that passes there. When his boyfriend guides Endo's arms to his shoulders, he lets himself go and wraps them around his neck.. He notices how Umemiya is silent and feels him adjust his feet. He mentally prepares himself for the thrust he would receive. It would probably hurt, but he could handle it. What was unexpected was that they lifted him up. Yamato thought about how dangerous it was to do that, even if the floor was covered with those non-slip rugs.
“Hey, you idiot,” he exclaimed in fear.
The penis came out of him and he lowered him back down in his arms, resting him on the edge of the tub. He realized it was the right decision when relief loosened his body and, at the same time, frustration overwhelmed him.
“I'm sorry,” Umemiya apologized as he removed the condom from his barely erect member.
“I wanted it to work,” he admitted reluctantly.
“Me too,” his boyfriend leaned on the other side, keeping his feet together on the rug.
Although it was like admitting defeat, Yamato moved his foot to remove the plug from the bathtub.
He watched Umemiya lean against the wall, probably in pain all over his body. At first glance, some areas were redder than others, and his face had deep scratches that Takiishi had caused. It was supposed to be a hot bath to relax, but during their conversation, they had gotten distracted by the possibilities of that place for sex.
He didn't exactly feel clean, so he would take a shower before finishing.
“What happened to your abdomen?”
Once on the couches, they made themselves available to each other to take care of their wounds. Hajime healed himself by wrapping a cut on his arm.
“Some idiot who hit harder than I expected.”
“In Furin?”
“No...”
When it was his turn to cover his boyfriend's face, he was overcome with a desire to praise him with kisses as he had done before, but the white-haired boy seemed to have put some distance between them since the bath, and Yamato was afraid of being invasive.
They prepared a simple dinner, and at first he thought they wouldn't talk, until one of them did.
“What do you usually do for Christmas? I mean... What does your family usually do?” The question took him by surprise.
“Uh... my parents aren't the type to make a big fuss about that date. We have a different dinner and go to sleep.”
“I see. At the orphanage, they usually make a special dinner for the children, but Shitara-san told me that it's also a time to spend with friends and partners. I've never tried that... I'd like to try it with you.”
“Sure, although it's still a month and a half away.”
It was curious, the first four months of their relationship had flown by, they saw each other almost every day and didn't leave each other's side for a second. But at that point, they seemed like two completely different people. Their relationship was a fire, and all their problems were a jar that was slowly suffocating them; they had to break the glass.
Hajime was dying to hold Yamato in his arms. But it would be too invasive and could even hurt him, because the black-haired boy's body was covered in bruises, some new, some half-healed, and scratches on his face. Injuries were not common for Endo, nor would they be for Umemiya, were it not for the fact that he had to give himself over to the fight and show his enemy that he was not a superior being, that he could bleed just like anyone else. But Endo was untouchable, and he enjoyed being so.
“It's cold,” he said into the air.
“I'll turn up the heat,” Endo replied distantly from his place on the carpet.
“I'd settle for a hug,” he murmured, seeking a reaction.
Hearing this, the black-haired man looked at him again and seemed to think about it, Umemiya feared his comment would not be well received.
He watched as his boyfriend got up and walked behind the armchair where he was lying. Confused by this reaction, he stared at the ceiling, waiting for his return or non-return.
Suddenly, a cloth was placed over his body, completely covering his vision. He was about to ask what kind of reaction that was, but a weight on his side interrupted him. The sofa is big enough for one person, but for two people to be comfortable, they have to squeeze together.
‘Thank goodness, I thought he was angry.’ He easily wrapped his arms around the other's waist and Endo partially tangled their legs.
“Are you thinking about something right now?”
“I'm thinking... that I really want this to work.”
“You're not talking about sex, anymore?" The question sounded silly when he asked it, and Yamato just laughed at it.
“No. But I'm frustrated with that too.” He feels lips on his cheek, and he knows his boyfriend is smiling again, which makes him smile too.
“We can try, but out of the water and on a bed.”
Lips touched him, but there was no insistence, just a kiss to take advantage of their closeness. Both their cheeks were red, he knew that from his hand resting on his face near his hair, where he caressed the black curls. With his other arm, he wrapped around his waist and brought their bodies closer together, to the point where Yamato placed one leg completely over his hip.
It was a cold afternoon, and it would get colder as night fell, but there, wrapped in a blanket with another body beside him, he didn't feel the cold. Hajime didn't hesitate when he offered to spend the night there. He felt indebted because he was so busy with things related to the future of Furin that their moments together were becoming scarce.
“What are you thinking about?” The blue-green eyes looked up at him from his chest.
“I'll stop fighting with Takiishi.”
“Where did that come from?” Endo asked, confused.
If I had to give an answer, I would say that the reason is right in front of your eyes. Even if he's not sure about that, Yamato was somehow directly affected by it. Was Takiishi taking it out on him? Perhaps, in the same way that Hajime's friends spoke ill of Endo, Takiishi did the same to Yamato. Personally, he hated listening to that talk, and his boyfriend must have felt the same way.
“It is not going anywhere.” A voice in his head kept telling him not to give up and that he could beat him.
He was sure that Takiishi's only goal was chaos and violence. Umemiya had a much nobler mission; he wanted to use his strength to protect the people who had supported him so much, to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. So why wasn't he the stronger of the two?
“Are you frustrated that you can't win?”
Endo, who had been lying next to him with his hand in his, got up to kneel and sit on his legs. He stared at him, so Hajime used his elbows to push his back away from where he was lying.
“No... winning is the least of my concerns.”
“Then why insist for so long and now just throw it away?” The last words seemed to have a different tone from the rest.
He took a deep breath, hoping that the oxygen reaching his brain would provide the right answer. He also looked for the answer on Endo's back, the only part of his body that remained close.
“I'm trying to set priorities.” He could see from his face that this answer was not satisfactory.
“I don't understand.”
Umemiya realized that this reaction, somewhere between angry and disappointed, was not what he had expected.
He sat up straight for this conversation, even if it meant letting go of her hand and putting some distance between them.
“I don't know if there's anything to understand... it's my decision.”
He wanted to share a connection with his boyfriend's brain, because they seemed to be processing the same information in different ways. His eyes had hardened, his mouth had a grimace that denoted anger, and for some reason, he had brought his hand to where he had previously seen that huge bruise.
If only his mouth had been as quick as his head.
“Hypocrite...”
“Did Takiishi...?”
In the same way they had spoken, they fell silent at the same time.
He hesitated for a second. Could he take that conversation, end it there, and pretend for the rest of the night?
“What did you say?” he asked, even though he'd rather not hear those words again.
“You're a hypocrite,” Endo said, “because when you don't understand something, you ask and ask, saying you want to understand everyone. So I ended up telling you and...”
Yamato opened and closed his mouth, trying to continue the sentence, but after two attempts, he gave up and looked away.
“What will happen if I don't fight Takiishi?”
“Well, he'll get bored and lash out at others...”
Hajime could see it because he knew Yamato. When he didn't finish his sentences and frowned, he was looking at something invisible in front of him. It was because his arguments were weak and his mind was not directly on that conversation.
“Will he attack you?” he asked, because that was all he cared about.
“Of course not.” Yamato had turned his face away so that he couldn't see his expression as he answered. And his feet were planted firmly on the floor, ready to put more distance between them.
But Hajime had seen the scratch on his face, identical to the one Takiishi had made on him. Just thinking about his boyfriend being abused by Takiishi, someone Endo refused to stay away from, made rage rise in his chest and he hated it, hated that feeling that called him to forcibly take Yamato away from his side. And he wished that he was the only one who grew so that he would be big enough to hide him in his arms. But it was nothing more than a dream; anger was the only thing that was real.
“Hajime... let go of me,” said Endo.
At some point during his introspection, he had placed his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, forcing him to turn and face him. Endo didn't give in either and kept a firm grip on that arm, pressing down so that he would let go. Hajime, even knowing that what he was doing was wrong, did not let go. He even moved his grip to Endo's forearm and pulled him closer, taking it as a good sign that he was not resisting.
“We'll never get anywhere if you avoid it and walk away.” Reading Yamato wasn't necessarily difficult, but it hurt him to see his eyes glaze over with tears that seemed to be welling up, yet he didn't shed any. “Just tell me... because I don't want us to fight over him.”
“You should have said so before... weeks ago,” said Endo. Through his hand, Hajime felt part of his body lose tension. With his other hand, Yamato rubbed his eyes. Then he let out a small laugh that left him puzzled, probably due to some idea in his head, or simple relief.
Even though the atmosphere was no longer tense, Umemiya had not managed to reach any conclusion, and Endo looked at him as if it were his turn to speak.
Once they were lying down, Yamato proved once again that he wasn't angry or disappointed, as Hajime had expected. Neither of them spoke, but while he kept his hands on her waist, Endo used his hands to comb his albino hair, his attention completely focused on him.
“Yamato...” Still looking at him, looking at the top of his head, he made a small noise, showing that he was listening. “What will happen to us when I finally make it... when I reach the top?” He felt a twinge in his chest as he asked.
He didn't want to be repetitive, but they couldn't keep ignoring everything; they had to talk about some aspects.
He ignored the doubts that invaded his head when their eyes met. His boyfriend didn't stop stroking his head, but he lowered his body so that their eyes were at the same level.
“I'll love you, no matter where you are, but... Takiishi won't care why you do what you do, he just wants a good fight so he doesn't get bored... He'll look for something else when no one in Furin wants to fight him anymore,” Endo whispered.
“Will you go with him?”
“I'll be the one to find him something else.” Maybe Hajime was overanalyzing the situation, but the way Endo said those words was a faint whisper. It occurred to him that saying that implied a betrayal of his beliefs.
Seeking to show that he was there, he rested his hand on Yamato's, still looking into his eyes. The distance between them was not great, and he could simply bring his lips closer.
Taking a risk, he placed a kiss on the exposed skin of his boyfriend's neck.
“Why is that?”
“An apology” I think. He noticed the reciprocity in the way he received more open access to the area.
The positions changed, Endo leaned his back against the mattress and brought a hand to the white hair, squeezing it lightly when he felt teeth grazing the surface.
“Hey, there's school tomorrow.” Yamato didn't deny that he liked pain when it came to sex; it was quite similar to his taste for fighting. So he didn't stop Hajime, avoiding bringing his hands lower because the plan was to sleep.
“You can always stop me...”
“Dude, that's messed up,” was Sugichi's first reaction.
“You think so? I love it when she gets territorial.”
“Why would she get jealous if you go to an all-boys school?”
Even if they tried to hide it, everyone in their group was glancing at the marks on their leader's neck. Takiishi had deemed them disgusting, but Yamato had found it relatively easy to block out the comment by thinking about the passion Hajime had put into them. Some had been made the night before, and the rest while they were bathing together that same morning.
Despite the conversations he had tried to generate the day before, Umemiya seemed to give up and accept that things would go better if the topics were not brought up. Even if it left him with a strange feeling in his chest, Yamato preferred not to dwell on it.
Besides, he had unconsciously begun to plan what they would do on Christmas Eve, which they had promised to spend together.