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“Hey, there, cutie.”
The voice cut through the babble of the marketplace, and Hitoshi looked up from examining a piece of fruit to see a man easily twice Aizawa’s size leaning on the support pole next to him. No visible weapon, but plenty of muscle. He stepped slightly to the side, giving the adult more room, and went back to looking over the fruit. It seemed to be decent quality, and fresh produce was one of the things the tribe went through quickly. He made a mental note of the address the stall was located outside of, and turned to move on to the next one.
“Whatcha doing all alone? Shouldn’t a sweet lil thing like you be hanging on someone’s arm?” the man asked, sounding rather pathetic in Hitoshi’s opinion. He stepped out into the flow of people to avoid a small crowd asking the potter about their wares, and scanned for a butcher’s tent. The one thing they needed more than produce and grains was meat, especially since the addition of a dragon shifter to their tribe.
“What, not even gonna give me your name?” the man wheedled, apparently still following him. Hitoshi rolled his eyes, and kept looking for a butcher. “Hey, I’m talking to you.”
“And I don’t care.” Hitoshi glanced over his shoulder, making a conscious effort to keep any magic from spilling into his voice as he narrowed his eyes. “Go away.”
“You little-” the man lashed out, moving faster than he’d expected given his bulk, and Hitoshi yelped as he was dragged out of the flow of foot traffic and into a small tent selling ornate rugs. “You should learn to pay attention when people are talking to you, ya dirty lil Boz.” the man snarled, his grip tightening on Hitoshi’s wrist. His eyes widened, and the man’s face twisted with a sneer. “That’s right, I can tell. You think just ‘cause you wear our clothes you can pretend you’re one of us?”
Magic surged through him with every racing heartbeat, ready to be released with the slightest sound, and Hitoshi kept his mouth tightly shut. He wasn’t allowed to use his magic around city folk, they’d have him executed before the warriors could mount a rescue.
“I asked you a question, you-”
“Toshi! There you are, darling.”
Hitoshi looked over, and relaxed minutely at the sight of Tetsutetsu. His affinity wasn’t illegal, and he had a cudgel strapped to his back under his jerkin for good measure. But he didn’t call on his magic or draw his weapon. Instead, he crossed the dirt floor to Hitoshi’s side and link an arm through his free one. “I’m sorry if my fiancé offended you, sir.” he smiled, lips closed over his inhumanly sharp teeth. “He still speaks without thinking sometimes, you know how they are out in the plains.”
The man’s grip on Hitoshi’s wrist eased, and he pulled his hand free to grip Tetsutetsu’s forearm, trying to convey without words that he’d like to get out of here sooner than later. The man looked Tetsutetsu over critically, then scoffed and muttered something Hitoshi only half caught which sounded disparaging and possibly aimed at ‘young folks these days’. He relaxed as soon as the man left, exhaling heavily, and Tetsutetsu slung a heavy arm around his shoulders to pull him into a half hug.
“Sorry I had to do that.” he apologised, rubbing his hand over Hitoshi’s upper arm in a soothing motion. “Figured it was the fastest way to dissuade him without putting the town on guard.”
Hitoshi nodded his comprehension, breathing slowly and evenly and expelling some magic with each exhale.
“You okay?” Tetsutetsu asked, and Hitoshi nodded again.
“Too much magic.” he said simply, and Tetsutetsu pulled him into a proper hug.
“We’ll be back home in an hour or two.” he murmured, rubbing soothing circles between Hitoshi’s shoulder blades. “Think you can hold up that long?”
“As long as I don’t have to deal with that creep again.” he muttered, indulging in a brief fantasy of coming in with the warriors tomorrow night and ordering the man to his death. It would never happen, he was a scout not a warrior, but the thought still made him feel better.
“Well, I’ll stick with you.” Tetsutetsu grinned as he pulled away. “Wouldn’t be right of me to let my foreign fiancé wander around on his own, now would it?” he winked, and Hitoshi chuckled quietly.
“No, it wouldn’t.” he caught one of Tetsutetsu’s hands in his own, wrapping his thin fingers around the stronger boy’s calloused palm. Perhaps the rest of this scouting trip could be enjoyable after all.