Archive of Our Own

Koushi has never felt especially important. He’s never felt worthy of praise or eager for attention simply because he tells himself that that’s not who he is. 

As a child, he always wanted to be a hero, eyes shining at the idea of saving the day and finally finding acclaim, but he divisively separates fact from fiction, telling himself that this could never be true.

For ten long years, Koushi ignores the static that runs in between his fingers, the literal storm clouds above his head, and the aching feeling in his chest that longs for something more. He bounces around the foster system, letting trouble lurk closely behind him. 

Being a child of the Big Three means that he doesn’t last very long in the mortal world. At age ten, Koushi is unceremoniously taken in by two men; well two demigods, but he thinks that they’re ordinary men when the social worker introduces him to Ukai and Takeda, who would go on to change Koushi’s life completely.

Takeda is a gentle and polite man. He had a surprising amount of tact explaining that Koushi is the son of a god and that he is moving full time to a safe place for people like him. Now at this point in his life, Koushi doesn’t just believe whatever adults tell him. He hasn’t believed in Santa for a couple of years and the concept of the Tooth Fairy is laughable. But as Takeda tells him of the hidden majesty that exists around them, Koushi can’t help but believe him. 

What he struggles to understand even now is how he is the son of Zeus, king of the Gods. Koushi doesn’t think he’s important. He doesn’t think he’s worth much attention or acclaim. His parentage would beg to disagree. 

It makes a lot of sense objectively. It explains the raw power that vibrates underneath his skin, rumbling like thunder in the sky above. It fits the narrative of his own hero’s journey. It is power claimed and realized, lying in wait for his use. 

Subjectively, it becomes one of life’s greatest mysteries, keeping Koushi up at night as he stares at the ornate ceilings of the Zeus cabin. He names himself Zeus’s greatest disappointment, a name with no grounding in reality but one he thinks he deserves nonetheless.

Unlike his mythological progeny, Zeus doesn’t have many children these days. Koushi is the only son of Zeus at Camp Half-Blood and one of few children of the Big Three. Koutarou from Cabin Three arrives about a year after Koushi. He likes the attention that comes with his parentage a lot more than Koushi does.

His fellow campers seem to look up to him as a son of Zeus, even if it’s an implicit gesture of respect for his power. They ask for his input, they leave him alone to train; they steer clear of him similarly to how Koutarou parts the seas whenever Koushi becomes irritable, thunder rumbling in the sky above him. Koushi quickly discovers that it’s lonely to be at the top. He decides soon enough that it’s easier to ignore his position altogether. 

He makes fast friends with the other campers instead, acting amicably enough that they can forget who he truly is. He ensures that he doesn’t scare anyone with his power, only letting his true self show in the heat of battle or in solitary moments of weakness. 

Consensus dictates that this is a good move on Koushi’s part. He falls into his role of the son of Zeus easily, turning the wide-eyed stares of his fellow campers to easy smiles and goofy glances. There is a small majority that harbours dislike for Koushi; they’re usually easy to ignore. He places heavy emphasis on usually. 

Tooru Oikawa is the counsellor of the Athena cabin. He was already at Camp Half-Blood when Koushi arrived, word of mouth tells Koushi he arrived there at age seven alongside his closest friend, a son of Ares. 

The myths dictate that Athena sprung free from Zeus’s head, fully grown in a suit of armour. Koushi knows that this must be true and that apples don’t fall especially far from their trees because if Tooru is one thing to him, it’s a massive aching headache. 

In the seven years they’ve known each other, he can’t recall a positive interaction with the boy. These interactions are few and far between; it seems they have an unspoken agreement to steer clear of one another. Regardless of that, Koushi keeps careful note of every nasty glance, snide comment, and rude gesture made by Tooru towards him. 

There is no concrete reason for Tooru to despise Koushi, no dramatic fallout, no scornful actions on his part. This bothers Koushi greatly. It’d be different if he’d done something to offend the son of Athena, but it was as if Tooru took one look at Koushi and decided he wasn’t enough.

Koushi isn’t one for enemies and grudges, he often leaves those for the children of Nemesis. He can make an exception for Tooru Oikawa. If he wants to antagonize Koushi then that’s fair enough, but he can’t expect him to allow it with a smile.

But as the years change and the beads accumulate on Koushi’s camp necklace, it becomes harder and harder to avoid Tooru. This all comes to a head in the aftermath of a rather unlucky accident.

Hajime Iwaizumi is the counsellor of the Ares cabin and best friends with Tooru. He typically leads one side of the weekly Capture the Flag games while Tooru leads the other for Athena. Hajime had been training in the forest one night when a rather impish dryad decided it was a good idea to play a trick on him. The whole affair ended in Hajime with a broken leg, red in the face from a rather disruptive combination of pain and anger. Even with ambrosia and nectar it very soon became clear that Hajime would be put on bed rest for the foreseeable future.

After the camp learns that Hajime himself is okay, their concerns quickly shift to another topic: Capture the Flag. See, under Tooru and Hajime’s care, Capture the Flag has very quickly become a favoured pastime at Camp Half-Blood. Their friendly rivalry always inspires complex plans and bold strategies, all in the name of taking the lead on their ever-growing tally of who wins the most games.

Hajime asks Koushi to come and visit him in the Ares cabin the day after his injury, and Koushi already knows what’s coming. He spends the short walk over trying to think of any potential excuses to get himself out of this one. He comes up blank as he wedges open the heavy steel door to the Ares cabin. 

Hajime lies in his bed in the counsellor’s quarters, idly flipping through a Godzilla comic book. He props himself up when he notices Koushi in the door, “Suga, what’s up man?”

Koushi offers him a small smile, “Not much, Haji. Sorry to hear about the leg, by the way.”

Hajime pouts, eyes narrowed, “It’s definitely stupid, I don’t know what that jerk was thinking— I thought we were under attack. Anyways, Morisuke tells me there’s nothing I can do except rest until it’s fully healed. That’s actually part of the reason why I called you here actually.”

Please don’t ask me what I think you’re about to ask me, Koushi mentally begs. “Oh yeah?” He replies, voice slightly higher than it normally is. “I’d love to help out, what can I do for you?”

Hajime huffs, “Well, as I’m sure you know, people really like the weekly Capture the Flag spectacle Oikawa and I put on. I want things to go smoothly while I recover and Ukai asked me to find someone to take over the job while I’m out of comission. I can still help with strategies and the planning, but I was hoping you could take over leading our team in battle while I’m healing.”

Koushi chuckles, “Me? Oh, I don’t know Hajime, it doesn’t seem like such a great idea…”

Hajime cocks an eyebrow, “You’re joking, right? You’d be great at it.”

He’s right, of course. A natural affinity to leadership is part of his abilities as the son of Zeus. Koushi would be great at leading those games.

“I mean, I don’t know, but if you’re asking for me then I’ll help out.”

“You’re worried about Oikawa, aren’t you?”

“That jerk? Why would I have anything to worry about there?”

“Look, Suga. I’m his best friend. I know full well that you guys have your weird little thing going on. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll make sure he plays by the rules. It’ll be tense, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. Besides, I want to win and you’re the most guaranteed road to victory here.”

Koushi huffs, “Fine, I’ll do it but I don’t want to create trouble for everyone else. As long as Tooru behaves I’ll lead our team.”

Hajime grins, “Thanks, man. I’ll make it up to you, alright?”

“You don’t have to bribe me, like I said I’m happy to help out.”

“Oh, I’m not bribing you. I’ll compensate you for whatever bullshit Tooru puts you through. He’s going to have a field day when I tell him he’s up against you.”

Koushi has an especially bad feeling about this one. He has a sneaking suspicion that his short-lived reign as a team captain will end in someone being singed. Someone with a stupidly perfect smile and stupidly perfect hair. 

Despite this, there is an underlying sense of anticipation mingling with his dread. Maybe it’d be nice to put Tooru Oikawa in this place after all these years.

Koushi spends the evenings after dinner talking strategy with Hajime. He learns the ins-and-outs of their team. For one, Kenma hates playing with a passion. Place him far back in their defensive line and coerce him into creating skeletal guards with the promise of contraband video games from the mortal world. Issei, son of Hypnos, is pretty adaptable. Place him on defence and you’ll have someone who can incapacitate an eager opponent in seconds, place him on offensive support and on a good day half the enemy defence is sleeping with their shields as pillows. 

He learns the inner workings of Tooru’s team too. He gets the Hecate cabin, who are exceptionally dangerous when they choose to be. Keiji likes to lay traps in particularly thick areas of the woods, waiting for poor bastards who will get automatically teleported to the enemy jail when they step on the wrong patch of dirt. The Hermes cabin has numbers and make for a swift and crafty offence. Koutarou likes to hang by the river, keeping a close eye on the front lines, playing defence and offence all at once. 

Tooru himself is easily the largest threat. When you place a son of Athena next to a son of Poseidon, and the Hecate cabin, it’s easy to discount the demigod that has no outwardly explosive displays of his power. Underestimating him would be your first mistake. From a distance, Koushi has observed the tenacity and pride that Tooru carries himself with for years. Even when fighting alongside warriors like Koutarou, Tooru shines. He has the unique skill of drawing out the best in every one of his comrades. Furthermore, Tooru examines each and every one of his opponents. He could tell you the weakness of any demigod at Camp Half-Blood. Tooru can’t part the seas, he can’t summon an undead army, he can’t call bolts of lightning that reverberate across the earth for miles, but he works with so much dedication that it hardly matters. 

There is no doubt in his mind that as Hajime prepares him for what to face, Tooru prepares too, asking himself where to hit Koushi to make it hurt the most.

Koushi is nervous come Friday morning, that much is clear to everyone around him. The air smells of ozone and has the careful sensation of the calm before a storm. Tooru deliberately chooses to swagger past the Zeus table, the first one in the dining pavilion and quite far from his own. He passes Koushi, the smell of vanilla and cinnamon disrupting the electricity that Koushi unintentionally generates in the air around him. A couple feet away he comes to a stop, half turning to let his bold grey eyes meet Koushi’s gaze. 

“I’m sure you’re excited for tonight, Suga. I can feel the anticipation rolling off you. It’s cute. Don’t worry, I’m excited too. Losing is such a uniquely humbling experience, I’m sure you’ll learn lots.”

Koushi scoffs and a vein of electricity travels down his fork, singing a corner of his pancake, “I’d calm it with the hubris, Tooru. You haven’t even seen what I have in store.”

Tooru laughs loudly and a few campers turn to stare, “I don’t have to. I’ve got all the proof I need, golden boy.”

With that, he turns around, not looking back once as he takes his place at the head of the Athena table.

Koutarou shoots him an enthusiastic thumbs-up from a couple tables over and Koushi doesn’t know how to break it to him that they’re on opposing teams. Thunder rumbles overhead and somewhere in the center of the dining hall, Hajime starts to get the idea that he’s made an egregious mistake.

The rest of the day passes similarly, tensions bubbling up within Koushi. He feels like he can sense trouble on the horizon, its precognition leaving the urge to flee in the centre of Koushi’s chest directly underneath his sternum. 

He moves through the afternoon frustrated and tense, unable to focus on his activities. The counsellor of the Apollo cabin, Morisuke, points out that Koushi’s eyes look stormy and he almost laughs in response. 

Before he knows it, it’s time for the game and he’s standing at the foot of the dining pavilion. Ukai and Takeda stand behind Koushi and Tooru is directly across from him, the usual shit-eating smirk on his face. Further in front of them are two crowds of campers, one of them his team and the other belonging to Tooru. 

Ukai clears his throat, “Alright campers, you know the drill by now. Whoever collects the other team’s flag and brings it back to their teams’ side wins. All weapons and powers are fair game— just don’t be an asshole. Remember, this is a friendly game . Behave, or I won’t hesitate to put you on bathroom and stable duty for the next week.” Ukai deliberately aims the last part at where Tooru and Koushi face each other, addressing the high tensions.

“Yes, dad,” Hiro, son of Dionysus, chirps from the middle of the group that consists of Koushi’s team. Ukai grumbles something under his breath about teenagers and being too old for his job. 

Takeda pointedly ignores the comment, instead clasping his hands together with a kind smile, “Now we’ll let the two team leaders shake hands and start a ten minute countdown for set-up before the game commences.”

Tooru’s head is tilted back, he gazes down at Koushi with a lazy smirk on his face. Koushi is content to smile politely, pretending he doesn’t feel the strange urge to press the business edge of his sword against Oikawa’s throat.

Standing next to his usual team, Hajime adjusts his crutches, sending Koushi a pointed look that says, Be mature about this or you’ll be the next one with broken bones.

Tooru sticks his hand out first, “May the best man win, Suga. ”

“It’s a team battle,” Koushi reminds him. He takes Tooru’s outstretched hand, clasping it a bit too firmly. Tooru reciprocates and the pressure causes Koushi to let loose a shock, that’s generously half-accidental.

Tooru jumps and withdraws, tightly smiling as he shakes out his right hand.

Takeda sighs and hands them both their flags, Tooru taking the blue one and Koushi getting its red counterpart. “Okay, dismissed.” 

Tooru is first to walk away, wandering over to Koutarou and Tetsurou, the Hermes counsellor. Before Koushi can rejoin his team, Takeda is wrapping a hand around his shoulder, shooting him a disapproving look. “Be mature, Koushi. Don’t let him agitate you.”

He grumbles, “I’m not-“

Takeda cuts him off, “Then take it as a warning. Now go lead your team.”

Koushi pouts, rejoining the team to lead them to where he and Hajime decided they’d hide their flag. Hajime meets him halfway, “Remember what I said. Disrupt his rhythm. Put Issei on offense until they imprison some of our guys then put him on recovery, that way you can have Chikara guard the flag. Use Ryuunoske-“

“I know, Hajime. Ryu and Asahi pair up on offence. Asahi uses charmspeak and Ryu powers his way through. The Demeter cabin thickens the forest near our flag, the Nike and Ares cabins take the bulk of the offense. I’ll be fine.”

Hajime furrows his brows, “I know. Take things too far and I will kick your ass. Get me this win, Sugawara.”

Koushi does a mock salute before gesturing for his team to move out into their half of the woods. Hajime makes his way back to the dining pavilion to sit with Ukai, both of them looking similarly put out. 

Asahi, the Aphrodite counsellor, falls into step with him, “Tooru looked really excited, huh?”

Ryu comes bursting forward, wrapping his arms around the two of them, “Excited for us to kick his ass!”

Asahi raises an eyebrow, “The other way around, probably.”

Koushi shrugs off the battle-hungry Ares boy, “We’ll be fine, Asahi. I’ve been working with Hajime all week. If anyone knows how to take that jerk down, it’s him. We’ve got our plan down pat.”

“That’s probably what he wants you to think,” suggests Asahi and Koushi can feel a wave of anxiety fill the pit of his stomach.

“Cool it with the charmspeak, okay man? It’s going to be hard, but I’m not doubting myself or you guys.” 

They get to the corner of the forest where Koushi chooses to hide their flag this week and he gestures for everyone to stop. It’s a nice spot, a small clearing surrounded by one of the densest parts of the woods. That way, his guards, Kenma and Chikara, have a clear view of their surroundings while still being relatively covered.

“Alright everyone,” Koushi calls out. His team stands at attention. A swell of pride bubbles in his chest. He’s made to do this. He’ll be fine. “I explained your positions to you today at dinner. You know where to be and how crucial it is to stick to your position. The blue team will want to use any chinks in our armour to our advantage. If they can’t find any then they can’t win against us. I’ll be floating around the enemy lines, looking for opportunities. We’ve got this.” 

Ryuu cheers loudly and the Ares cabin follows his example, not used to not having Hajime as a buffer for his more enthusiastic siblings. The Demeter cabin immediately sets off to plant their defences in the woods. Kenma putters around like he’d rather be anywhere else before raising his legion, avoiding the glances of other teammates. 

Anticipation rolls through Koushi in waves and all above the forest, grey skies form. That was another thing Hajime mentioned— steer into the storm, literally. The more Koushi amps up his powers, the harder it is for Tooru to take control. He isn’t used to not suppressing himself, but the rolling of clouds across the sky feels good. 

Shimizu slides up to him, bumping her shoulder against Koushi’s, their bronze chest plates clunking. “We’ve got this,” she reminds him and Koushi feels her confidence in his chest, making him smile slightly. 

“I know,” he replies. “You’ll watch things in the back line for me?” She nods in response. While Shimizu might have been more useful in their frontlines with Ryu, Koushi knows she doesn’t like the fighting. He suggested that she watch things near the flag instead, using her charmspeak to rally their allies.

“Perhaps you might want to keep a cooler head too.”

Koushi grins, “Are you worried about me? That’s so sweet, wait until I tell-“

She cuts him off, “On second thought, don’t. Go on and get stable duty, I don’t care.”

Koushi whines, “So mean, Shimizu.”

Shimizu shrugs apathetically, “I mean it. It may help us win, but you know that Tooru will see it as an opportunity to cause trouble for you.”

“He can try. That doesn’t mean it’ll work.” She shoots him one final warning glance before nodding and moving to join Ryu, adjusting his own chest plate.

Soon enough, the horn sounding the commencement of battle sounds out across camp and a rumble of thunder in the sky above follows it. Koushi imagines Tooru standing at his own base. Maybe tonight Koushi can convince him that he’s enough, even without his crass seal of approval. Maybe tonight he’ll finally get a taste of who he’s been underestimating.

He leads his main offensive force, the Nike and Ares cabins to the river, where he already watches Koutarou stand shin-deep in the creek, grinning in excitement. He nods to Issei, who shoots him a cheesy thumbs-up. Koutarou isn’t expecting them here, usually Hajime would launch a more showy attack.

Atsumu, a son of Nike, runs at Koutarou head-on, who’s actually surprised that a lone demigod is challenging him. He easily dodges the blasts of water Koutarou throws his way until Issei sneaks right behind him, putting his hand on Koutarou’s shoulder and instantly putting him to sleep.

They drag the son of Poseidon to rest on the banks propped up against a tree, while Atsumu whines about how heavy Koutarou is, despite his own increased strength. 

Koushi gracefully leaps over the creek, letting his control of the air prevent him from wetting his sneakers. He claps them both boys on the back appreciatively and gives the signal for his forces to divide and conquer, beginning the sweep for the blue team’s flag. Koutarou had been their biggest threat, with him temporarily out of the picture, it’ll be easy to get the flag across the creek once they find where it is. 

The Ares cabin is ruthless, battle skills literally embedded in their blood. The Nike cabin has a desire to achieve victory that is unmatched by any of the other cabins. Together they’ll form an unstoppable force, even with the well-placed traps from the Hecate cabin. Once they do have allies trapped in the jail, Mattsun will swoop in, putting their guards to sleep and freeing his teammates. If Koushi disrupts and overwhelms Tooru from the get-go, he won’t even have a chance to strike back. Their largest concern has to be the Apollo cabin, who are largely archers and distance fighters. If they let themselves get picked off from a distance, it won’t matter how strong their strategy is.

Koushi breaks off from the group, nodding to Asahi as he parts. He knows that Tooru probably expects him to attack, it’s his usual role. They don’t often go head-to-head during Capture the Flag, but he has a feeling that that will be different today. Koushi plans to go all the way to the enemy flag, retrieving it with ease in the best-case scenario. If he has to fight Tooru in the process then so be it. 

He doesn’t touch the ground as he runs through the woods, it exerts more energy, but he’d rather tire himself out than wind up in the enemy jail during his first game as team leader. Above him, the sky still rumbles, and he’s surprised to feel a raindrop smack against his forehead. He absentmindedly hopes that Issei was right about Koutarou sleeping through most of the game, otherwise this surge of emotion on his part could benefit the other team greatly. 

The rain chills his skin, helping him feel alert in the setting Friday sun. Koushi wonders what he’ll do if he finds Tooru. Part of him desperately wants to make amends with the other boy, tired of the conflict and hopeful that peace could emerge from a shared understanding. But he remembers how quick Tooru was to turn his nose up at Koushi. He decided Koushi was a disappointment to him seven years ago and engraved his stance in stone. Koushi is mostly content to let him remain stagnant and to reciprocate his scorn. 

Koushi yelps out in surprise as he feels a figure tackle him, sending him to the forest floor, which is quickly growing muddy. He coughs, the wind knocked from his lungs while Tooru presses his Celestial bronze sword to the center of Koushi’s chest. He grins almost maniacally, “Found you.”

Koushi sends a volley of air out, sending Tooru flying backwards into a tree behind him. “I didn’t realize you were looking for me. Don’t you have a team to lead?”

Tooru stands up, wiping a bit of mud from his cheek, “The same could be said about you. Besides, they know what they have to do to win. Hajime’s handed me a golden opportunity and I won’t be ignoring it.”

Koushi huffs, “Gods, you’re so obsessed with me.”

Tooru’s face twists into a sneer. “You wish,” he spits, lunging forwards. This time he dodges the air Koushi sends his way and Koushi has to meet his sword with his own dagger, slightly taken aback at the amount of force Tooru puts into his slash. This is a friendly match, right? 

Koushi uses the conductive nature of their weapons to his advantage, sending a shock through them that’s enough to make Tooru yelp and draw back.

Koushi hacks into the gap in Tooru’s defence he’s created. “What the hell is your deal?”

Tooru parries and Koushi thinks that he can almost hear the clench of the other boy’s teeth. “You know my deal. I hate your type.”

Tooru’s eyes flit over Koushi’s shoulder and he shouts out, “Now!” 

Koushi can feel a disturbance in the air behind him and he barely sends up a wall of air in time to disrupt a volley of arrows. The rain is pouring at this point and thunder and lightning crackle across the sky.

“Seriously?!” Koushi cries out, “What’s your problem, asshole?!” He releases the air in the direction the arrows came from, knocking half a dozen Apollo campers from the trees. A voice that sounds like Morisuke cusses loudly.

At this point, Tooru’s hair is matted to his forehead. He haphazardly pushes it out of his eyes, trying to lunge at Koushi again until he’s pushed back by more of Koushi’s winds.

Koushi charges forward at Tooru with a cry, dagger coursing with electricity. Tooru holds his own against Koushi’s strike, the hairs on his arm standing up from the electricity. They’re close, inches apart, and Koushi feels almost trapped in Tooru’s grey Athenian eyes. They stare him down with so much ferocity that Koushi is sure that if he were a lesser demigod he would back down in fear. He’s almost amazed at their anger, their pride, their desperation. 

Look at me, they say.

You doubted me, didn’t you?

Koushi wishes he could respond, I didn’t.

Those eyes succeed in transfixing him, Tooru swipes boldly, and Koushi’s dagger flies out of his grip, landing on its side a few metres away. He tries to use the winds to coax it back into his grip but the dagger doesn’t budge.

From the corner of his eye, Koushi can see the gunmetal blue light of familiar runes. Keiji’s spells. 

Tooru grins at him, almost laughing.

I knew you’d do that, his eyes leer.

Koushi darts backwards, using his agility from the wind to dodge Tooru’s long swipes from his sword. Eventually, he finds the opening to knock the sword from Tooru’s hands with a burst of air and lightning and Tooru stumbles backwards.

Koushi tackles him similarly to how Tooru did at the beginning of their battle and pins the other boy, straddling his waist. Tooru glares at him from below, his expression a mix of rage, anxiety, and something else.

Around them, the air crackles. Tooru lunges up, arms wrapping around Koushi’s neck; the Athenian boy jerks his weight to the side until he’s the one on top of Koushi. He starts desperately throwing punches and Koushi’s hands fly up to block his face. He thrusts his hand into the center of Tooru’s chest producing enough electricity to jerk him backwards. It’s Koushi’s turn to hit back now, not even bothering to put his godly powers into them. Somewhere in the forest near them, lightning connects with the ground and Koushi’s ears ring. He can feel it vibrate through the ground, but all it does is renew Tooru’s rage.

They roll through the mud unlike half-gods, more closely resembling wild animals. Koushi is unsure if the Apollo cabin is still near them in the woods, part of him hopes they aren’t. Deep down, he knows this is an unnecessary show of anger and violence. Yet, he can’t stop himself. Tooru strikes him as a manifestation of all of his doubts and insecurities and for once he wants to hit back.

Distantly, Koushi can hear Takeda’s horn again— someone’s won. Neither he nor Tooru even considers stopping. Blood flows freely from Koushi’s nose and drips onto Tooru’s cheek. The other boy recoils like it burns.

It’s officially over; either he or Tooru have emerged victorious for this week. But unofficially, the fight drags on. Tooru throws mud in Koushi’s eyes and Koushi blindly sends out columns of wind, only stopping when he hears Tooru hit a nearby tree with a thud. He swiftly wipes the mud from his face, clamouring forwards to grab Tooru by the collar of his Camp Half-Blood shirt, striking him with a rage he didn’t realize he has within him. 

He feels a new pair of hands wrapping around his shoulders, dragging him backwards. He distantly hears Koutarou’s voice telling him to calm down. Tooru takes the intervention as an opportunity to latch onto Koushi once more, pulling his hair and swatting at his face. Koushi kicks wildly and behind him, he can feel Koutarou struggling with the commotion. 

A resounding voice breaks through his hot rage, “Stop fighting already!”

Tooru drops his hands, falling back into a sitting expression. His grey eyes are blank now, pacified. 

Koushi is still against Koutarou and he can feel the larger boy breathing heavily, loosening his grip on Koushi slightly.

Asahi stands a few feet away, clearly upset. “Finally! I mean, really! I expected better from the both of you.”

Tooru spits and a bit of blood comes up with it. “What, Azumane? Surprised golden boy over here has finally slipped up?”

“Tooru, that’s enough dude. Seriously,” Koutarou says from behind him.

Asahi continues, his hair falling in his face in the downpour, “I’m extremely disappointed in the both of you.” Koushi feels the strange urge to cry and he can tell that Asahi is using his charmspeak without intending to.

Ukai breaks through the tree line with Ryuunoske at his side. He catches his breath, eyes angrily snapping back and forth between Koushi and Tooru. 

“What. The. Fuck. Happened here? Actually, you know what? I don’t even want to know. Both of you to the Big House. Now.”

Kouatrou lets go of Koushi and Tooru shakily rises to his feet. Koushi notices his hands trembling and he feels guilty at the amount of lightning he must’ve used on Tooru. 

Tooru makes eye contact with him and then scoffs, turning away. “Why don’t you quit it with the rain? The games are over, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Koushi glares back, though he concentrates his energy and makes the rain taper off. He’s at least thankful that Tooru thinks that the storm was a purposeful effort.

The walk to the Big House is silent and uncomfortable.  Tooru keeps as far from Koushi as possible. Ukai walks two paces in front of them, occasionally looking back to make sure they’re both not at each other’s throats again. 

As they walk into the farmhouse, Takeda perks up. His shoulders are tense with concern and behind him, Iwaizumi sits on one of the large comfy couches, arms crossed; when they come into sight he pinches the bridge of his nose, “Oh my gods, are you kidding me?”

Tooru throws his hands in the air, “Oh come on, don’t mother me Iwa!”

“It’s not hard when you had one job! Which you screwed up, by the way. You lost.” Tooru scoffs and turns away. Koushi tries to feel proud, but he can’t manage it in the midst of his stinging face and burning shame. “Takeda, Ukai, I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused,” Hajime says.

“Hajime, it’s okay,” Takeda reassures. “Why don’t you get some air and let the four of us talk?”

Hajime nods and hoists himself up by his crutches, brushing past them. Koushi feels a wave of guilt, he had promised he wouldn’t cause any trouble. He’ll have to make it up to him later. 

“So,” Takeda starts. “Which one of you would like to explain to me what happened?”

Koushi opens his mouth but before he can speak, Tooru cuts him off, “Suga went after my flag. I fought back. That’s all.”

Takeda raises an eyebrow, “Then why were you found fighting after the game was over?”

Koushi bows his head, “I lost my temper. I’m sorry.”

Ukai shrugs, “Apology accepted, but you don’t just owe us one, kiddo.”

Koushi turns to Tooru, who is currently staring daggers at one corner of the walls. He swallows his pride, “I’m sorry for losing my temper on you, Oikawa.”

Tooru narrows his eyes further and says nothing. “Tooru,” Ukai warns. 

Tooru inhales sharply, “That’s alright.” He says the two words like they pain him.

“Your turn, Tooru. You owe Koushi an apology too.”

“I won’t apologize if I don’t mean it,” Tooru responds quietly. “I have nothing to apologize for.”

“Are you serious?!” Koushi cries out. “You’re the one who started it in the first place!”

“I was doing my job,” Tooru grits out.

“You were going after me, we both know that.”

He laughs coldly, “I’m flattered that you think I care about you that much. I was defending my flag. I saw a chance and I took it.”

“That’s enough,” Takeda interjects. “You fought after the game ended. That’s against the rules. Apologize now, Tooru, I won’t ask again.”

Tooru turns back to Takeda, an argument on the tip of his tongue, but he stops when he sees the serious look on the camp director’s face. “I’m sorry I fought when I wasn’t supposed to,” He chokes out.

Ukai runs a hand through his box-dyed blond hair, “Good enough. You’re both on bathroom and stable duty for a week. You’ll be working together.”

Koushi sputters, “Ukai, you can’t be serious-“

He holds up his hand, “I don’t want to hear it. If you two can’t learn to be respectful of each other then you’ll have to suffer the consequences. I expect better from our counsellors.” Tooru scoffs at this. 

“Now go get yourselves cleaned up,” Takeda says. “I’ll send an Apollo camper to both of your cabins to take care of your injuries.”

Koushi nods, “Yes sir.” Tooru says nothing in response and storms out of the Big House. 

As Koushi closes the door behind him he can hear Ukai sigh loudly, “These kids are why I dye my hair, Tetsu.”

This next week would be Koushi’s equivalent to torture in the Fields of Punishment. He just hopes that Tooru is as determined to get things over with as he is.

It’s still dawn when Koushi emerges from the ornate Zeus cabin on Saturday morning. He stands on the top step, taking in the view of the still sleeping camp. Morning dew covers the grass, the few rays of sun shining at this hour reflect off the large brass doors of his cabin. 

The walk to the communal bathrooms is short and dreadful. Inside, Tooru leans up against the sink, already bearing a nasty look on his face. Upon seeing Koushi he pushes himself off the sink, brushing his hands on his shorts. “Let’s get this over with,” he grumbles. 

“Glad to see we’re both in agreement for once,” Koushi muses in turn. 

Tooru brushes past him, heading to the long line of stalls, “Don’t hold your breath. You take one half, I take the other. Clean as quickly as possible and don’t speak. When I finish before you, I’ll move on to do my half of the stables so we can be done as soon as possible. 

“And who put you in charge?”

Tooru stops and turns back so he’s facing him, “I did. Unless, of course, you have a better idea?” He mockingly bows, “I’m at your service, your majesty.”

Koushi decides to ignore his insults, “We could work together and get everything done faster. You know, what Takeda actually wants us to do?”

Tooru turns again and opens the cabinet with the cleaning supplies behind him. “Yeah, I’ll pass.”

Sighing, Koushi waits until Tooru is out of the way before he takes his own supplies. It does end up taking them some time to clean the bathrooms. They stumble around one another, unsure what’s already been cleaned and what hasn’t.

They miss breakfast and the morning sun is high in the sky by the time they move onto the stables. Now there are quite a few horses and pegasi at Camp Half-Blood. This makes cleaning the stables a pretty frequent task. And a disgusting one.

Tooru crudely declares that they would split the stable in half before picking up his own shovel and disappearing into one of the stalls at the opposite end of the building. Koushi sighs and grabs his own shovel, figuring that at least he wouldn’t have to stay out of Tooru’s way this time too.

The stables take a while too. The repetitive motions cause Koushi’s back and shoulders to ache with pain, mingling with the throbbing of the bruises Oikawa gave him the previous night. At one point, Tooru is cleaning the stall directly across from him, Koushi can hear him huffing and cursing under his breath. He pointedly decides to ignore the other boy, knowing that Tooru would choose not to acknowledge him too.

Koushi feels a pair of eyes settling on his back, his shoulders where he’s rolled up his sleeves. He’s pretty sure it isn’t the horses. For a moment, he considers ignoring the feeling, but he soon gives in to curiosity, subtly glancing over his shoulder. 

Tooru’s stopped working completely, frozen in the midst of shovelling hay. His eyes rove over Koushi, he sees them move up his arms, he feels them travel the planes of his shoulders. His cheeks are dusted with a faint flush that could easily be explained by the rising summer heat in any other circumstance. He knows he should tell Tooru to focus, but he can’t. It almost feels as if Keiji has cursed them; there is pure magic blanketing them in tandem with the heat. Koushi can forget he’s surrounded by horse shit and putrid hay so long as he focuses on the almost-wistful look in his rival’s eyes. 

Koushi stays still for a moment too long and Tooru realizes that he’s been caught. His expression shuts down, once again guarded. Koushi misses the open look he bore moments ago, even if it seems pretty clear that Tooru was ogling him.

“What’s wrong, your highness? Scared of getting your hands dirty?”

Koushi simply shrugs, “Not really. Just taking a break for a moment.” 

Tooru glowers at his failure to aggravate Koushi once again before he turns back to cleaning his own stall. This time if Koushi stares, he can see the other boy’s face has gone even redder. 

Tooru Oikawa seemed exceptionally simple for seven years, another son of Athena with too much hubris for his own good. In the span of forty-eight hours, he’s become a complete enigma.

Tooru doesn’t even spare him another glance for the rest of the morning. Koushi finishes before him, he offers to help Tooru finish but for some reason, the other boy doesn’t let him. 

His mind buzzes in the aftermath of their encounter in the stables and the conflict from the night before. Why does Tooru hate him so much? Why was he staring today? Anger becomes pacified and quickly changes to curiosity. Koushi knows that realistically everyone won’t like him in life. He’s accepted that no matter what he does, people will see him as his father and nothing more. Normally he can move on from this, but he’s never been able to with Tooru. 

Koushi feels a strange feeling building in his chest and electricity travelling up and down his fingers. He swallows the feeling and calms himself, now isn’t the time to second guess things. Chances are he’ll be seeing a lot more of Tooru for the next little while. 

Much later in the day, Koushi pulls open the heavy door of the Ares cabin, dodging the looks from most of the campers inside. His injuries from last night have definitely formed by now, a nasty black eye, a split lip, discolouration all up one of his cheekbones. His own knuckles are a nasty shade of purple and they ache in the aftermath of the work he’d done this morning. 

Ryuunoske sits on his bunk close to the counsellor's quarters and he perks up upon seeing Koushi, meeting him halfway. “What’s up, bro?”

Koushi shrugs, “Not much. I was looking to see if Hajime is free?”

Ryuunoske purses his lips, “Lemme ask him. He was dealing with Tooru earlier so he might not be in the mood.”

So Tooru’s already seen Hajime. Koushi imagines he probably apologized for last night, they’re best friends after all. 

Ryuunoske knocks on the heavy door and pokes his head in, Koushi can hear muffled bits of conversation before the Ares boy peeks back out, “He says you’re good to go in.”

Koushi pats him on the back, “Thanks man.”

He nods in response, hesitating slightly. “You know Suga, you should get into fights more often. You look totally badass like this.”

“Really Ryu?” He sighs. Ryuunoske shrugs and lays back in bed and Koushi walks into Hajime’s room. 

Hajime is sitting, watching him as he closes the door behind him. His olive green eyes are hard and Koushi feels a swell of shame. 

“I owe you an apology,” he starts. Hajime only raises an eyebrow, prompting him to continue. “I told you I wouldn’t cause problems and then I did. You trusted me to lead our team and instead I let my emotions get the best of me.”

Hajime hums his assent, “I mean, it’s alright. I accept your apology. I was kind of shocked, if anything, but I talked to Tooru earlier. Congrats on the win too.”

Koushi chuckles, “I feel like it didn’t even happen in light of everything. Atsumu got the flag right?”

“Uh huh, he was real slick about it too. I’m glad our work paid off.”

Koushi nods, eyes scanning the room. On Hajime’s bedside table is a framed picture, him and Tooru at about twelve by the looks of things. 

His mind drifts back to Tooru like a compass pointing north, the look on his face from earlier playing on loop.

“Haj, why does Oikawa dislike me?”

Hajime clicks his tongue, seemingly deciding what he’ll choose to tell Koushi. “He… he thinks you’re kind of a jerk, I guess. He’s never said anything outright to me, but I know him so I kind of get the gist. I think his whole thing is that he thinks that you have this notion that you’re better than the rest of us, which I know you don’t believe. But I guess he saw you from day one and internalized that or something.” Hajime pauses. “I don’t know he’s always been weird about you especially. He thinks he has to prove himself to others in order for them to see him as an equal.”

Koushi draws back in surprise, “He thinks I’m some arrogant jerk who sees him as lesser.”

Hajime snorts, “I never said he wasn’t an idiot.”

“So how do I make him not hate my guts?”

“I guess…” Hajime mulls it over. “Be open with him. He’ll pick that up and see you aren’t a threat. You haven’t exactly been the gentlest with him either, which he didn’t make easy in fairness to you.”

“Thank you,” he replies. He falters momentarily, “Why do you think he hates me specifically though? He has problems with no one else, just me.”

“You know I used to think it was all because of your dad… I, uh, I don’t really know, truth be told.” Hajime is lying to him, his eyes shift around and he’s adjusting his orange camp shirt.

Koushi tries to wrack his brain as to why Hajime would suddenly shut down. How awful is Tooru’s motive in disliking Koushi? What has he done to justify this?

“Ah, I see,” he responds, not wanting to press Hajime after he’s already been so forgiving.

“You two would be good together though, Suga. It’s worth a shot if anything.”

Koushi finds himself grinning, “I think so too. I’ll, uh, leave you to rest. We can discuss next week’s strategy tomorrow. Thanks for the help, Hajime.”

Hajime nods, looking awfully stoic, and Koushi turns, pulling open the bedroom door before Hajime stops him.

“And Suga?”

Koushi turns back; Hajime has a gentle smile on his face, “Thanks for giving him a chance. I don’t think he would ever give himself one.”

Koushi returns his smile, “Thanks for the advice.”

He doesn't feel the stares as he leaves the Ares cabin, he’s much too wrapped up in his musings on Tooru. Maybe that’s why he was staring earlier, maybe he doesn’t want things to be like this between them too. 

Koushi thinks of a future wherein he and Tooru get along, one where they could be something more. The idea makes sparks fly, this time with giddiness. 

While Koushi isn’t eager to be cleaning again, he doesn’t dread his time with Tooru on Sunday. The morning air is cool and fresh on his skin. 

When he pushes open the bathroom door, Tooru is in the same place he was yesterday, leaning up against the sink. He’s glaring again, but it’s cloudier today, like he has something on his mind. 

Koushi opens his mouth to suggest they get started, but Tooru speaks before he has the chance to. “You were right. I want us to work together today.” 

Koushi stands gobsmacked at Tooru’s confession, wondering if Asahi or Shimizu charmspeaked him on his walk over. “O-oh?” He manages, sounding kind of pathetic. 

He expects Tooru to spit out some insult, but instead, his expression softens, a glare giving way to something a lot more neutral. “It’ll take half the time. Besides, we can at least delude Ukai and Takeda into thinking that we get along if you act like you can stand me.”

Koushi nods, and they walk together to the cabinets, Tooru outlining his plan for them all the while. When Tooru hands him a spray bottle, he suddenly blurts, “I can. Stand you, that is. I won’t have to pretend because I can stand you.”

A blush overtakes Tooru’s cheeks and the tips of his ears, grey eyes widening in surprise. He clears his throat, thrusting a cloth into Koushi’s hands. “Flattery is a powerful weapon, Koushi. Be careful with it.”

They power through cleaning the bathroom, a pleasant surprise after the mess that had been yesterday’s experience. Working with Tooru comes easily; they have a natural synergy. 

Tooru is overt and bold with his every move, while Koushi is quieter, more graceful. Their differences intermingle like analogous colours on a canvas, similar at surface level but polar opposites upon closer inspection.

They walk side-by-side to the stables together while the rest of the camp still wakes up and at certain moments, Tooru chats with him softly, pointing out small details like the fact that the label of Tetsurou’s shirt is hanging out. 

They politely greet a passing Koutarou and the half-asleep son of Poseidon does a double-take, no doubt wondering if he’s still dreaming. Koushi is surprised too, in all honesty. He didn’t think that Tooru would be so amicable after all this time. Instead of their long tumultuous history feeling like a standoff, it now feels as if they were both resisting something; as if they’ve finally decided to submit and steer into this unknown storm. 

It’s a pleasant surprise, similar to the experience of searching high and low for a prized possession before realizing it’d been right in front of you the whole time. 

They tackle the stalls together this morning, with Koushi offering Tooru a shovel he wields with a small smile. The process is seamless with an extra pair of hands. 

Koushi still has to roll up his shirt sleeves by the second stall, it’s another hot day. He catches Tooru staring soon after, chin resting on the handle of his shovel. Koushi shoots him an expectant look and Tooru only winks in response. 

It’s only fair that he stares back, appreciating the gentle waves of Tooru’s hair, the perpetual look of shining wisdom in his Athenian eyes, his biceps and defined calves, the plump shape of his lips as they curve into a gentle smile. Tooru is handsome, unmistakably resembling his godly lineage; Koushi thinks that if you told a stranger he’s a minor god they would believe you in a heartbeat.

It’s as if resentment has distorted Tooru for years, transforming teasing grins and curious eyes into sneers and judgemental stares. For the first time, Koushi watches the other boy, newly freed from the clutches of anger and hate. He likes what he sees and maybe he isn’t afraid of that. 

They barely make it to breakfast, though it’s a considerable improvement considering how much time it took them to finish their tasks yesterday. The dining pavilion is still bustling with campers as they reach the front steps and Tooru stops suddenly. Koushi looks back at him questioningly, watching as Tooru mulls something over. He makes his choice, then lays a hand on Koushi’s shoulder. 

“We make a good team,” he declares.

He’s right in front of Koushi one second, then gone the next. Somewhere amidst his surprise and butterflies, Koushi feels the absence of Tooru’s palm on his shoulder like someone’s pressed an ice cube where his hand rested. 

Koushi slips into his seat at the empty Zeus table while watching Tooru chatter affectionately with his siblings.

He slides a pancake into the pyre meant for his father, one thought playing in his head over and over and over.

We do make a good team, don’t we?

By Thursday, Koushi and Tooru have streamlined their process, cleaning diligently and leaving room to absentmindedly talk all the while. 

Their bruises and scrapes have faded, thanks to the camp’s large supply of ambrosia. Koushi’s knuckles are still a bit yellow, but only in the harsh fluorescent light of the bathrooms.

Since Tooru’s declaration on Sunday, he’s taken to waiting for Koushi outside the bathrooms, visibly perking up whenever he comes into sight. It’s almost impossible to believe that they’d quite literally been at each other’s throats nearly a week ago. Whatever talk Tooru and Hajime had on Saturday must have drastically changed his outlook, trading hostility for blinding warmth.

As they work through the stables, Tooru seems distracted, half-heartedly replying to Koushi and narrowing his eyes at the ground. Eventually, he blurts, “I owe you an apology.”

Koushi stops, tilting his head, “You apologized already.”

Tooru worries his lip,”Wha- gah, not for that. Although that was a dick move on my part. I meant generally. I’ve been terrible to you for a long time now.”

“Oh,” Koushi says intelligently.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’m at fault too.”

“But I started it,” Tooru says. “That’s my whole point, I guess. I always started it. I went out of my way to piss you off. I was such a stupid kid when we met, I saw you and I immediately decided I was… jealous. I created this version of you in my head to justify it, even with how kind and intelligent and amazing you are. I was wrong and I’m sorry, Suga.”

“It’s okay. I did the same thing actually. So I’m sorry too.”

Tooru laughs loudly and Koushi has to concentrate very hard to not set the hay at his feet on fire with his electricity. “We’re just a couple of idiots, aren’t we?”

Koushi smiles at him, “Oh, you definitely are, I’m not too sure about myself.”

Tooru affectionately punches his shoulder, “Jerk.” This time the word is spat with no malice; it’s kind and playful. 

They’re two of the first campers at breakfast that morning. At some point in the meal, Koushi feels Tooru’s piercing eyes on him, he looks up and Tooru doesn’t back down this time.

Friday is almost bittersweet. Koushi won’t miss scrubbing floors and shovelling horse shit, but he’ll miss the quiet mornings with Tooru. 

“Maybe we should kick each other’s asses again so we can do this next week too,” Koushi playfully suggests as he holds the bathroom door open for Tooru, closing it gently behind him on their way to the stables.

Tooru smiles dazzlingly at him, “You know, Koushi, if you wanted to spend more time with me, you could always just ask.”

“I think my way is more fun,” he replies teasingly.

“Then next week you can shovel the horse shit while I watch.” Koushi sticks his tongue out at him and Tooru flicks him on the forehead. 

When they part at the dining pavilion, Tooru offers Koushi three words, “Good luck tonight.”

Anticipation rattles through his bones, every atom vibrating with excitement. He likes the feeling of this week more, he wants to challenge Tooru as his friend, he wants to show him what he’s capable of. 

When they stand face-to-face before the games, this time there’s an easy smile on Tooru’s face. Takeda and Ukai exchange nervous glances as the two shake hands. Tooru’s firm grip feels right somehow, clasping Koushi’s palm like a well-fitting glove. Koushi wonders what it would be like if they didn’t drop hands after only a second.

He and Hajime have tweaked their strategy from last week slightly, knowing that Tooru has undoubtedly deconstructed it and learned from it for this week. Koutarou loudly declares that he won’t be taken out so easily this week and Issei raises his hands, attempting to deflect all blame onto Koushi. 

The games themselves pass by quickly, they’re over in a second. Tooru wins. Asahi breathlessly admits that he underestimated Tooru after last week and Koushi does not echo the sentiment, merely patting his close friend on the back and promising victory next week.

I wouldn’t underestimate him, he thinks to himself. 

He briefly catches sight of Tooru, but he’s quickly whisked away in the crowd of his teammates, a wide grin on his face. 

The rules demand that the losing team cleans the armoury immediately after battle, sorting the chest plates and weapons campers use for the games. Koushi never minds the menial work, he urges his team to go ahead to campfire and relax, they deserve it after all. The weapons take him no time, but the mess of chest plates is a bit daunting. They need to be arranged by size and they quite easily become tangled.

Koushi is working his way through the pile when he hears a cough from behind him. He’s surprised to see Tooru standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame in a rather obvious attempt to look cool. “I’m, uh, here to help,” he says as a way of explanation. He waits for a response, only moving forwards when Koushi nods. He quickly meets him at the pile of armour, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Koushi. 

Tooru’s hands are steady and good at detangling, a sharp contrast to Koushi. It seems like Tooru compensates for every one of Koushi’s weak points. The words “We make a good team” reverberate around Koushi’s head like music playing so loudly that you can feel the bass in your skin. A comfortable silence stretches as they wordlessly float into a routine, Tooru detangles a piece of armour and Koushi places it where it belongs. 

“You know,” Tooru starts after a while. “This is kind of our thing by now, cleaning shit up… pun not intended.”

Koushi giggles, “I guess it is. It doesn’t help that we’re so good at it.”

Tooru smiles widely, “Oh definitely not, soon enough we’ll have campers asking for our services.”

“We’d have to charge them.”

“Obviously.”

“I mean, there’s no way I’m cleaning Hiro’s bunk for free.”

Tooru groans, “Gods no.”

Tooru triumphantly hands Koushi the final chest plate, watching as he places it with the other ones labelled “small.” There’s a nervous look in Tooru’s eyes and he opens his mouth before quickly closing it. 

“You seem bothered about something,” Koushi says. 

Tooru clicks his tongue, eyes following the lines of armour and weapons along the walls. “I have something to confess.” He shoves his hands in his pockets immediately following the admission, looking smaller than usual.

“What is it?”

“I wasn’t entirely truthful with you when I apologized the other day. I meant the part about accepting my shortcomings and being sorry about it, but I wasn’t just jealous of you. I had, well it’s more so that I have feelings for you. It bothered me for a long time. I was mad at myself, at you, at the Fates, I was just angry… I felt like with your natural talents I wouldn’t ever measure up to you.”

The admission feels like jumping into Canoe Lake, cold and encompassing. It explains the lingering stares and the instantaneous dislike that had endured for much too long. Koushi thinks of his own storm of emotions towards Tooru over the years. His desire for the other boy to like him, his recent revelation that Tooru can be quite handsome when they don’t hate each other.

Maybe Hajime is right, maybe he should be open with Tooru, maybe he should steer into the storm.

Koushi steps towards Tooru and he back-pedals, nearly bumping into a training dummy, “It’s okay, really. I don’t need you to comfort me and tell me that you’re flattered because I’ll be fine. I just felt like I owed you the truth. You’re a good person, Koushi.” Tooru’s voice is watery and he looks like he’s actively fighting back tears. 

“Just hold on,” Koushi mumbles. “Please. For me.”

Tooru stills and swallows, a tear darts down his cheek. Koushi steps closer and Tooru stays, hands shaking at his sides. There’s little space between them and Koushi tentatively reaches one hand up, focussing to ensure that he doesn’t accidentally hurt him. He wipes away the tear and lets his hand linger on Tooru’s cheek, tracing the high slope of his cheekbones. “Is this okay?” He asks, his voice almost a whisper. Tooru leans into the touch, nodding slightly.

Koushi notices his eyes drifting to Tooru’s lips, like a compass pointing north; they’re a lush pink, elegantly curved and perfect, the likes of which he imagines the humans sculpted by Apollo himself to bear. Tooru’s tongue darts out to lick his lips, moistening the faultless arches and curves. He can feel Tooru’s heavy stare on his own mouth, making it feel weighted and tingly.

Koushi stands on the tips of his toes, leaning forwards like a magnet drawn to the poles. 

It all starts out as a gentle brush, Koushi gently tracing the wonderful shape of Tooru’s mouth with his own. They’re just as soft as he’s imagined them to be. 

Tooru pulls back tentatively, doubt darkening his silver eyes. “You’re sure?” He asks.

“Positive,” Koushi replies.

Tooru leans down this time, his hand rushing to the back of Koushi’s neck to keep them close. He lets Koushi make the first move, waiting until he confidently presses their lips together to reciprocate. 

He’s more desperate than Koushi is, chasing the feeling like a starving man. Koushi surges against him in turn. They are two waves crashing together, the sensation of thunder and lightning in tandem. Koushi deepens the kiss and Tooru sighs against his mouth. 

They pull back for air after what could have been hours or seconds. Tooru’s lips are swollen now, marked by Koushi’s kisses; he’s sure his own aren’t much better. 

“I win,” Koushi whispers.

Tooru frowns and leans back, “You what?”

“I win. I kissed you first.”

Tooru gawks, “We were competing?”

Koushi shrugs, “It should go unsaid at this point.”

“Well I confessed first.”

Koushi snorts, flicking Tooru’s forehead, “You apologized for liking me. That’s a shitty confession.”

Tooru mocks offence, “Here I am, showing you my heart and you’re critiquing how I confess to you? Cold. You wound me.”

Koushi nods, grinning. Tooru grins back at him, pulling Koushi in for a hug. 

“You know you’re talented, right Tooru? You’re so wise and skilled. Your tenacity is unmatched. You amaze me, seriously.” Tooru squeezes him tighter, resting his head in the crook of Koushi’s neck.

“Thank you,” he replies.

And for the first time, Koushi feels truly important.

Koushi laces up the leather straps of his armour, tightening the sides to make sure they remain taut. He relishes in the quiet simplicity of the task, the reassuring pressure of the bronze against his t-shirt.

He is the calm before the storm, the gentle rippling of the waves in the eye of a hurricane. Electricity reverberates beneath Koushi’s skin in anticipation.

“Want some help?” A smooth and caring voice asks out from behind him. The sound of it alone pacifies the swirling excitement in Koushi, making way for a swell of affection. 

“If you’re offering,” he replies easily. He soon feels steady hands at his other side, lacing up the straps much more gracefully than the way he does it. 

Tooru rests his chin on Koushi’s shoulders, he’s bragging now, tying the straps without looking. He clicks his tongue, “Look at your side, your hands are always so shaky, Kou. Let me fix yours.” His scolding is without heat, but it still warms Koushi to his core.

Koushi leans to the right, knocking his head against Tooru’s. “You always do it so much better than I do, it’s not my fault that you’re so good at it.”

Tooru turns his head and presses his soft lips to Koushi’s temple, mumbling, “So what you’re saying is I’m better than you?”

“In your dreams.”

Tooru slides his hands to Koushi’s left side, and the gentle brushing of fingers blindly groping against his side makes Koushi feel ticklish. Once they locate the leather strings, he tugs them gently through each loop, tightening them until he’s satisfied. 

“Finished,” Tooru declares.

Koushi steps forwards, turning around so that they’re facing one another now.

“We should probably get going. The games can’t start without us.”

Tooru pouts, “Aw, c’mon. Don’t I get a kiss for good luck?”

Koushi smirks, grabbing the collar of his boyfriend’s shirt and tugging them together. He presses a long chaste kiss to Tooru’s lips, their noses bumping when Tooru tilts his head slightly.

Koushi pulls back, Tooru still centimetres from his face. “There,” he mutters. “After all, you’ll need all the luck you can get.”

Tooru’s jaw drops. “You little shit. ”

Koushi pats his cheek, “Alright, let’s get a move on. Don’t want to keep everyone waiting.” He brushes past Tooru, practically skipping.

Tooru clambers after him, “Oh no, I’m not finished with you, get back here!” He quickly catches up with Koushi, brushing against his shoulder and slipping their hands together. “I am going to kick your ass tonight. You’ll blink and your flag will be gone. My plans will be so effective, people will talk about them for years to come.”

“Uh huh, sounds nice.”

Truth be told, Koushi doesn’t care too much about winning outside of helping Hajime stay ahead of Tooru in their tally. It’s also nice to see his boyfriend this excited though.

Tooru squeezes his hand once and Koushi squeezes back. It’s nice to be with Tooru , he thinks. He sees Koushi for who he is, beyond his parentage and beyond his persona. 

Tooru lets Koushi feel important, he lets Koushi feel worthy.

Above them, the skies are clear and bright, exploding in a multitude of colours as Apollo completes his trip through the sky above. Koushi is calm, he has no need for anger or anxiety. 

And if he shocks his boyfriend a bit when they go to shake hands then so what? He’ll make it up to Tooru after he wins later. 

(Koushi does in fact win, even with the extra luck he gave Tooru. Hajime is very pleased that there’s someone to put his best friend in his place, even when he’s out of commission. Tooru is too, though he’d never say that out loud.)