Work Text:
Light flitted in through the partially opened shutters, casting golden lines across his eyelids, warming them pleasantly.
"Jouno, do you think I'm pretty?"
"What?"
Tecchou fidgeted nervously.
-
On rare days off where work was scarce due to a sudden rest in political conflict or civil disputes, the hunting dogs would return to their arranged accomodations - a dormitory paid for fully by the government that came in tow with the contract they all signed when becoming body modified military soldiers. Decidedly, it was only fair that if they'd have to undergo so many surgeries for the sake of serving the country, they’d at the very least have a place to sleep at night - a comfortable living space.
That, and Fukuchi had advertised something along the lines of boosting team morale and improving their relations with one another. In any case, none of them had been particularly sold on that part.
(Plus, Fukuchi was gone now, so there wasn’t much of a reason to heed any of his advice.)
The building itself was much like a flat, with two floors and technically two living spaces, though the entire thing had been converted to function as one household. Two bedrooms per floor, with a shared bathroom between each, and a spacious kitchen and dining area, alongside a lot of space for movement, presumably due to the boisterous and sometimes violent behaviour of the inhabitants. Artwork lined the halls, mostly from obscure artists, probably placed just to fill the space with something other than stark white and peeling wallpaper, rather than to show off to visitors.
Not that they received any, anyways.
More often than not, the hunting dogs would instead function as their own visitors, not to the house but to each others’ rooms. Tecchou, most notably, seemed to frequent Jouno’s more than his own, for whatever reason he might conjure up. In fact, he stayed there most nights, returning only on occasion either to fetch something or to sleep there for a night, missing how his own bed felt. It was an arrangement no one questioned - after all, the two had been especially close for years now.
Tachihara had only recently returned, but enjoyed staying with the others more than he did staying by himself, mostly due to having actually missed his coworkers.
(Which he did in fact admit, with teary eyes and shaking hands, because the situation had been rather scary - returning after choosing the mafia over them - but ended well, considering he had been allowed to stay and there were no hard feelings harboured for him.)
And Teruko… It was safe to say she enjoyed her alone time.
(“It’s enough seeing you guys at work, okay! I don’t need to deal with you two ogling each other any longer than legally required.”)
But on occasion, the girl would come bounding into Jouno’s room, demanding a piggy back ride from him, to which he would comply with only a hint of reluctance and travel them around the dormitory a few times, throwing in a few twirls and jumps to entertain the girl. And on the occasion he was busy, she'd gloomily storm right back out of the room and find Tachihara (at least, if he was there) - or, Tecchou (who definitely was there) would offer to take his place, and the girl would brighten up immediately, practically dragging the boy along with her with a new found excitement and spring to her step.
They all treated Teruko as a younger sister, at least when she wanted to be treated as such. Oftentimes, she'd return to her normal age and resume an elder sister-ly role amongst them, which entailed a slightly less bossy but more stern attitude, and a subtle protectiveness that felt warm and familial.
In fact, all the hunting dogs felt like family to each other.
Well, Jouno would muse, not him and Tecchou.
Before the hunting dogs, Jouno had a different family of sorts - an unhealthy and overbearing one that cared more for how well he could complete a job rather than how he felt or what was on his mind or how comfortable he was and whether or not he wanted space. Although, in hindsight, for a criminal organisation, they had been good to him.
(Though, Tecchou would disagree entirely, frequently voicing his distaste for them and their treatment towards him.)
His feelings towards them had never been sour, just slightly sad - a little remorseful.
Tecchou wasn’t like that at all, though. He couldn’t really be seen as family, just something… Other.
An anomaly: a terribly confusing one.
-
Fondly, Tecchou would think back to the first day Jouno warmed up to him.
It had been a few months after Jouno joined the hunting dogs. Tecchou was the first member that Fukuchi recruited, with no other members following for a while until Jouno had been brought in abruptly with little to no explanation. It had been confusing, and he wasn’t too comfortable with it, but Tecchou never quite was the nosy type and neither did he complain much.
Either way, the two became partners. At first it was difficult, considering how adamant Jouno had been to the fact that he was perfectly capable on his own. And, indeed, he was, and Tecchou knew it well, silently watching in admiration whenever the other would take charge.
(At least, until he started being needlessly cruel, and Tecchou would step in, scolding the other for his immorality.)
But Tecchou was likeable, despite his off-beat and odd personality - likeable and incessant on getting along with his partner to the point it would be impossible to ignore his attempts any longer. Reluctantly, Jouno let him in past at least a few layers of his heavily built up walls, and not a day passed where Tecchou wasn’t grateful for the opportunity, treasuring their relationship more than could be explained through words.
Still, he remained cautious and untrusting, rarely even talking to Tecchou and simply tolerating him. At least, that’s all he could pick up. It had proven fairly difficult to decipher when Jouno’s jabs were playful and when they were serious, and despite all the assurance he gave himself, Tecchou had found himself thinking hopelessly that the other must have harbored some distaste for him.
Though, it was that day in particular that he had begun thinking differently.
Tecchou remembers it in a nostalgic kind of way.
“Behind you.”
A sharp clashing of metal rang out, two blades fighting for dominance, their wielders straining against the force of one another.
Tecchou allowed the sharp edge of his saber to press against the padding around his forearm, using the added area to push back at the enemy with more force. It hurt a little at first, but feeling his opponent’s force starting to get weaker, he was able to relieve some of the pressure on his arm, tensing his arms and pushing harder than before.
At last, he was able to get their blades to part so that he could slash at the other party with a trained attack, striking them down as they crumpled to the floor and puffed their last breaths.
“Thanks.”
His partner remained silent, and he supposed it was expected.
Sweat stuck his overflowing strands of hair to his forehead uncomfortably, just out of his line of sight, or else he would’ve swiped them back. The mission had been rather passive at first - just some interrogations and intel gathering to aid their case on a criminal organisation that had popped up recently - but soon turned into a battle where the partners had found themselves outnumbered severely, Tecchou drawing his saber and Jouno covering his back with his own sword.
From the looks of it, the person he had struck down was the last, and Tecchou sighed out of relief, letting himself hunch over and catch his breath for a moment.
“We should get going.”
Glancing over, the blond had barely broken a sweat, neatly sheathing his sword with an air of grace.
“Yeah.”
Jouno spun on his heel and began walking off, leaving Tecchou to catch up to him.
Returning to Fukuchi’s office, Jouno had been the one to recount the experience, delivering the written intel in a neat folder which he had kept safe during the commotion. Reading over, Fukuchi had nodded, contented with the information, and the two were dismissed for the day, having completed their tasks. At this juncture, the two had their own apartments, separate but not too far from each other, and each cozy, not too expensive, considering the hunting dogs were a newly formed group with limited credibility beyond the fact Fukuchi had established it.
Either way, Jouno and Tecchou rarely saw each other outside of work and never stuck around to talk afterwards either.
That meant it was rather concerning when Jouno lingered as Tecchou prepared to head home. He didn’t mention it, though, just packing away all his things and folding up his uniform, having already changed into casual clothes.
At the end of work days, Tecchou would either stay behind and complete any outstanding paperwork, hating to leave anything unfinished. If there was nothing to be done, he’d pack up just as he did currently, ensuring his saber was polished and clean, and sheathing it away where it’d be close enough for comfort but not in sight of the public.
Finished and ready to leave, he moved towards the door.
“Tecchou.”
Frowning in confusion, he turned around, staring at the strange sort of expression on the other’s face, trying to figure out whether he was due to receive a scolding or something more favourable.
“You… Did a good job today.”
Tecchou didn’t really think Jouno had a place to be praising him in that way, considering Tecchou was his senior, but it didn’t stop the fluttering in his stomach and the curling of his lips.
“Thank-”
“Don’t get used to it.”
With that, Jouno was walking off, leaving the other to watch his retreating form.
Tecchou left with a small, triumphant smile on his lips.
-
When Teruko joined, they finally were given the dorms to move into, with Fukuchi giving the whole spiel explaining it.
Teruko got the whole first floor to herself, with Jouno and Tecchou on the second, and to this day the arrangement hadn’t changed, except with the addition of Tachihara, Teruko no longer stayed by herself on the first floor, and instead shared it.
This meant that it practically ended up being Jouno and Tecchou living together on their own, and Tachihara and Teruko doing the same, which made a lot of sense considering the two groups were partnered with each other, and thus were closer with one another in a way they simply weren’t with the other hunting dogs.
Tecchou recalls the first night he and Jouno ever stayed together in Jouno’s room.
It had been three years since they first met. Their relationship had grown more comfortable, but as a result, Tecchou had found Jouno to be even ruder than when they weren’t close. Then again, that was simply his way of being affectionate or humorous, and Tecchou grew to not be offended so easily.
Whilst the hunting dogs never got official holidays per se, sometimes Fukuchi would arrange for them to have a week long break after a particularly large case had been dealt with, mainly for them to regather their wits and come back stronger than ever. It had been effective in keeping up morale (just as he had rambled about), and generally it was nice to see the other hunting dogs in a non-stressful environment - to catch up, or just to relax.
On a particular night of their break, there had been a huge storm passing over - not big enough to cause any damage or significant flooding, but the thunderstorms had been especially bad, with lightning flashing often and thunder sounding every one or two minutes.
Teruko had come upstairs for something that Tecchou couldn’t quite hear over the thunder and through the thickness of his walls, but soon enough a knock sounded at his door.
“Yes?”
“Tecchou, could you go over to Jouno’s room real quick, he’s...”
Standing up immediately, he sets down the book he had been reading, walking towards the door and staring down at Teruko where she leaned against the frame, face twisted into something like concern.
“Is everything alright?”
“Well, no.” Teruko frowned, but shrugged after a moment of thought, “I think you’d know best what’s happening.”
That concerned him.
Whilst they were closest with each other, Tecchou had never really gotten further than he had three years ago, staying at an amicable level but with the added layer of comfort and joviality. The idea that he might be the one to know what was wrong with Jouno was daunting, considering he could barely begin to pinpoint any areas of concern that the other had actually shared, and considering how much the other kept to himself, he couldn’t really decipher anything from context clues either.
But it was now up to him to simply know what was possibly wrong with Jouno, and Tecchou felt frazzled at the sheer thought of not knowing and being useless.
He didn’t want to be useless.
“I’ll check on him.”
“Thank you. You can come down and ask me or Tachi if he ends up needing anything.”
Tecchou nodded, slipping past his door where Teruko had just moved, and shutting it gently before padding across the wooden floor. The halls across the house were fairly spacious and all consisted of wooden floorboards that rarely ever creaked thanks to the maintenance on the house being rather good, and the fact the hunting dogs would sometimes go days without even setting foot in the dorms, far too busy somewhere on a long, drawn out mission.
Notably, Jouno’s room was only a few steps away, the door painted a glossy white, with a red crayon textured “J” scrawled on the upper panel of it.
Tecchou could recall the scene vividly; It was a fond memory. Teruko had been perched on Jouno’s shoulders with the crayon between her fingers, chirping happily as she wrote out the letter slap bang in the middle and admired her handy work giddily. Jouno had smiled, presumably to himself, and let the girl down off his shoulders when she tapped at his head, thanking her for the deed.
His fingers had delicately traced the area where the “J” was marked long after Teruko was gone, and Tecchou felt a blossoming sense of endearment.
The letter remained there to this day, a little faded, but still bright red and still in the shape of a “J”, just as it had been intended.
Tecchou reached out for the knob, hesitating for a moment, before lifting it back up and knocking at the door.
One round of knocks and there was no answer, so he opted for simply entering.
The sight was… unexpected, to say the least.
“Jouno…?”
His hands covered his ears desperately, clawing at them and shaking with the strain or perhaps something else, as he sat with his knees drawn to his chest, chin atop them and brows furrowed painfully. He sat at the side of his bed, on the floor, feet curled into the white fluffy rug beneath him. Tecchou noted that his lips had been gnawed at, with a nasty red blooming at the centre of the bottom lip, and his nails pressed crescent shaped indents into the sides of his forehead, the red after mark looking angry and painful.
A blinding white light followed by a crashing boom filled the room, the floor vibrating slightly with the power of the shock, and Tecchou watched as the other trembled ever so slightly, sucking in a breath.
“Jouno…” He mumbled.
It was no use just talking at him, especially when he was certain the other couldn’t hear him over the booming thunder crackles and pouring rain.
Tecchou quickly traversed the room, crouching down besides Jouno and slowly setting a hand upon the side of his kneecap, careful not to touch his face and further stimulate him.
A whimper of sorts choked out of his throat, and Tecchou’s face pulled into one of concern and panic. His fingers trembled, just as Jouno's whole figure did, and he hovered uselessly for a moment, mind moving a mile a second.
Decidedly, he let his hands move on their own, and noticed that it had been towards his fingers, prying them away from his forehead gently, and loosening their hold on his ears. Evidently, he had been bothered by the harsh indents and the even harsher pressure the boy had applied to his head. Jouno scrambled for a bit, fingers darting to move back in place, but Tecchou held them gently, stroking with a warmth that must have gotten through to the boy as he let up his grip and calmed down ever so slightly.
“I’ll get you something for the sound if you could wait a minute?”
Jouno bit at his lip and remained silent. Internally, Tecchou had made the decision that he wouldn’t leave until the boy gave him confirmation, far too concerned for his state to leave him unattended if he didn’t agree to it.
A weak nod followed, however, and Tecchou made extra care to stand up slowly and avoid making noise as his feet padded back over to the door, exiting, but leaving the door wide open, and hurrying downstairs at a speed he had never known before outside of battle.
“Teruko! Where are your noise cancelling headphones for when Michizou snores, I need them.”
A rosy head of hair popped out from one of the rooms, warm brown eyes staring with open concern.
“Is Jouno okay?”
“I’m dealing with it,” He mumbled, “but could you get the headphones, it’s urgent.”
With a nod she disappeared back behind the door, the sounds of shuffling and tossing sounding out for a few moments before she returned with the item in her hands, jogging over to Tecchou and presenting them in her palms.
“These?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Tecchou reached down to take them, making sure to ruffle her hair affectionately. Teruko beamed brightly up at him, eyes crinkling with joy, before he turned on his heel and practically sprinted back up the stairs, skipping a step or two.
He made his way to Jouno’s room swiftly, but ensured to quieten his steps - not too quiet so as to be unnoticed, but instead to lessen the sound - as soon as he knew he’d be in earshot, and headed back to where he left the other, crouching down once more.
Jouno had returned to pressing his nails into his skin, and Tecchou once again coaxed his hands away, drawing them to rest on his own lap and squeezing at his hands reassuringly.
Slowly, he raised a hand to his chin, lifting it with a thumb and index so that it no longer rested on his knees, and took another hand behind himself to grab at the headphones. He brought them forwards and settled them on the boy’s knees so that he could feel the touch of the material for a moment.
“It’s headphones. Can I put them on?”
Thunder crashed noisily, and Jouno’s eyelids scrunched up as he lowered his head and made a strained noise.
A hand reached up to clutch at his - the one nearest to the headphones - and Tecchou understood immediately.
Tucking his hair behind his ears, Tecchou slipped it onto his head and let the hair fall naturally around it as soon as he was done.
Whilst the other still trembled, the ease that seeped into his skin was evident, as he sunk more comfortably onto the floor, fingers less tense on Tecchou’s lap where they still remained. Notably, his eyelids had flattened, and his brows, still pinched, had relaxed a bit more. Even as the thunder boomed and the room lit up, Jouno remained in the same state - a little frazzled but significantly better than before, and Tecchou sighed in relief at the sight.
The two sat there, on Jouno’s bedroom floor, for well over an hour, with Tecchou taking to drawing patterns on the other’s knees and humming to himself when his mind grew absent. He couldn’t quite gauge the reaction Jouno gave to the tunes, considering the boy seemed far too out of it to even have an opinion, but he presumed it to be okay, noticing that no further discomfort had been caused. A comfortable silence hung around them, not too far from what they shared most days, but this time with an added layer of intimacy and trust. Jouno had allowed Tecchou to help and hadn’t discarded him as soon as he received it - had allowed him to see him vulnerable but didn’t shy away from the concept.
Tecchou was beyond grateful.
His eyes scanned the room as the time passed, making note of all the intricacies he had never laid sight upon. At first glance the room was rather minimalistic, but Tecchou noted the rows of origami animals on his shelves, lined up in no specific order - at least, none he could think of - with some propped up on top of various items such as books or trinkets or little boxes of what Tecchou deduced to be designated to store jewellery, specifically earrings, considering the sizes of them. On some parts of the shelf, necklaces were hung off the edges, making for a pretty curtain of different weights of chains, fabric, beads, elastic, and various other materials. Tecchou felt a sense of awe at the sight of one of his necklaces hung up towards the centre, a little space between it and the others. It had been a gift, and Tecchou had one of his own that matched in a way, the colors of the gems embedded in the curved metal pendant being complementary to one another and signifying their partnership. Jouno hadn’t shown much of a response to it, so he had assumed the other to not have thought much of it, although his lips quirked at the special treatment it had received.
On his bed lay a few cushions and two pillows, puffed up and settled neatly at the headboard. Alongside this, a small stuffed animal lay between the pillows, propped up. A sea otter, it had been, and Tecchou recalled hearing Teruko’s rambles about the animal on more than one occasion. It seemed the girl had gifted the toy to Jouno, and considering how neatly it had been placed, Jouno had appreciated that gift too.
(Tecchou made a note to think of more excuses for the hunting dogs to get Jouno gifts, entertaining the idea of a look of fondness on the boy’s face as he would settle the gifts around his room, and finding he quite liked the idea of that expression.)
Eventually, the storm let up, and the thunder grew distant until it no longer sounded. The rain, whilst still present, had grown weaker and returned to a manageable pitter patter against the window, droplets sliding down the glass at a slow pace.
Glancing over, Tecchou noted the time to be somewhere around 1 A.M, the limited light making it difficult to gauge what the smaller hand pointed to specifically, but it rested between the 3 and 4 placements, so it couldn’t be too far into the hour.
“It’s late.”
He murmured, mostly to himself.
“We should sleep.”
Jouno’s voice came out meek, unlike his normal confident and smooth way of speaking. It felt like hearing something you shouldn’t have - something deeply wrong.
“You’re tired? I can go, if you’re feeling alright-”
“No-!” He spluttered out, hands trembling, “No. I want you to stay. Stay here, just tonight.”
“Just tonight…”
Tecchou repeated to himself, processing the request. It wasn’t normal for Jouno to want his presence, and most of the time he had felt like he was only being tolerated by the other (though, whatever this was, it was a little more than tolerating). Admittedly, it stung a little, but he took whatever he got and didn’t complain. After all, it wasn’t too bad, as long as he didn’t think too much of it - but then again, right now, it was hard to not let his mind run amok at the fragile words.
“Or any night. Just stay. Please.”
“I’ll stay.”
He smiled, even though he knew the other couldn’t see it, and took Jouno’s hand in his, pulling him up. The strong grip onto his own hand told what words simply could not.
That was also the first time they had shared a bed, and Tecchou had noted how Jouno’s head seemed most comfortable laid upon his chest, slightly to the left.
-
Tecchou and Jouno had fallen into sync over the past six years.
It had been so subtle that neither party noticed, but from once glance, anyone could tell they worked hand in hand, covering where the other faltered, improving what the other excelled at, and understanding one another in a way no one could possibly begin to comprehend.
Still, Tecchou had much to learn about the other, and likewise, Jouno had much to learn about Tecchou.
-
"Do you think I'm pretty?"
Jouno's brows furrowed, eyelids creasing.
"Tecchou, I'm blind."
"Well, yes, but..."
Typically, Jouno could read anyone around him with a criminal level of ease. From their breathing to their heartbeat to even the vibe they gave off, Jouno could detect it and compute it, connecting the dots swiftly and creating a final image that told the raw and unedited truth of the other party.
It was confusing to no end when Tecchou grew to be an exception to this skill.
His breathing was constantly even, never off-beat, but his heart had been another story. Always a beat off - eerily, so - but never really telling of any underlying emotions. Irritating enough, even his general presence gave nothing away, but his personality - always calm and soothing and gentle in a way that displayed no sense of fragility but instead of care and diligence - had been so very… conflicting.
Jouno took it upon himself to convert his confusion to frustration, and would take it out in the form of jeers and taunts.
Still, even the way Tecchou responded to those confused him.
"But?"
"You can hear my voice." Tecchou offered, “And you know my personality.”
Jouno sighed.
"True. But I could trace your face instead if that's what you wanted out of this."
Notably, the other startled, and it reflected in how his heart sped up. Still, Jouno found great difficulty in telling if that meant joy or embarrassment or anticipation or dread - all of it was far too vague, something he couldn't wrap his head around.
It annoyed him, it really did.
"Why haven't you? It's been a while."
He shifted uncomfortably.
It was a valid question. Why hadn't he done that? It was evident Tecchou didn't mind and Jouno had never been one to shy away from confrontation, nevertheless worry about the affects of his actions on others' feelings. So the question stayed true: why?
Tecchou could be described as something Jouno grew attached to. Attached in a sense of familiarity, but also yearning.
At first, it was written off as a yearning to understand the other - to grasp his true intent, and to finally figure him out. To rid of his confusion, clear it up, and finally get over whatever internal conflict the other had brought to him.
But it felt like more.
He had never been good with feelings and didn't expect to suddenly learn how to deal with them.
Still, he could try.
"I suppose..." Jouno turned his head, disliking the thought of a gaze directed at him as he allowed vulnerability to take stage.
"I suppose I didn't want to make you uncomfortable with me. It's a weird experience, is all."
"Oh."
'Oh.' - Even his reactions weren't right. Far too simple to see past. He grumbles internally at the response, feeling almost stupid to have even decided to speak his worries.
Tecchou grabs at his hand, and he flinches.
If he recalled correctly, only a moment prior, the boy had been strewn across his bed about a metre and a half a way: resting, but not sleeping. He could tell Tecchou was slightly tired too, from the way his normally smooth and unwavering voice had been mumbled and slurred ever so slightly, face presumably pressed against a pillow. That, and his breathing had been slower than usual but not slow enough to be asleep.
In fact, prior to his question, Jouno had been sitting at his desk, filling in some of Tachihara's paperwork to help the younger get through all he had missed from being out on various missions. After the whole Fukuchi incident, the workload had been increased on everyone’s part, but Tachihara, accustomed to being on one long mission, was finding it difficult to adjust to the new situation. As a result, the boy had been stressed, and whilst Jouno insisted it had been to get his heartbeat to stop being so erratic and off putting, anyone, even a fool, could tell it was an act of care towards the other.
(Tachihara had thanked him greatly, running off to his own room to get a start on his share.)
Yet, now, Tecchou towered over him where he sat, warm fingers gentle over his own, holding on lightly as though asking for something.
Permission?
Jouno frowned, but nodded briefly.
Immediately, his other hand was taken into a careful hold and pulled upwards for what felt like a fairly long distance, and soon the two appendages, still in Tecchou’s grasp, were brought to rest on soft skin, cupping at it, with thumbs resting on bone. Once in place, the other moved his fingers to rest over the backs of his fingers, touch gentle but confident.
Jouno startles at the action, brows pinching together.
Shortly, the fingers release their grip on his own and fall, one hand sliding to encircle his wrist, albeit weakly.
"Right now?" He mumbled.
"If it's alright."
Of course it was alright.
Nimbly, the pads of his fingers swipe across the boy's cheekbones, testing the sensation before allowing more bold strokes. His lips pressed together, absorbing the sensation, memorising the mental image the feeling of his skin could give him. Whilst Jouno presently lacked the ability to see, his memories, although somewhat faded, still remained, and the power to imagine an image remained. This way, he could try his best to make an appearance of Tecchou stick in his mind, and to be true to himself, he had genuinely wanted to do this for a while.
Pressing lightly on the bones and locating where they end, he notes his cheekbones to be rather high, finding the soft, thin skin of under eyes very close by. He would note that Tecchou has eye bags, although they don't feel too severe, so he bites back a remark.
Swiftly, he moves to his nose and brushes down the bridge, admiring the angle for a moment, before moving to the tip of his nose and pressing delicately at it, feeling Tecchou smile underneath his left hand that was still stationed at his cheek, cupping it gently for stability.
A matching quirk of his lips follows, and he doesn't know why the other's breath steers from its normal pattern.
"Alright?"
He takes the swooshing of Tecchou’s hair to be a nod.
Readjusting himself, Jouno finds his knees knock against the taller's, and he notes that he must have lowered himself to make it more comfortable for him.
Jouno frowns.
"Sit."
"...Where?"
Once more, a valid question. Jouno pondered for a moment, before standing up - a bit slower than usual, ensuring not to headbutt Tecchou by accident, and slipping a hand further down to his wrist.
Tugging him along, he heads towards his bed and sits down, pulling Tecchou down too, and he waits for any indication of - well, anything.
"Continue? Please."
Please? His mind buffers painfully slow at the plea, frustration rising at the lack of understanding of it. Though, he supposes Tecchou did want him to see if he was pretty, and had been rather adamant about him giving an answer. But, still, the other was never one to sound so… desperate?
Jouno schools the look of confusion off of his face, lifting his left hand to brush at his cheekbone this time, admiring the feeling.
At first there isn't much difference between what he had felt on the other side, but a few more swipes and he notes a subtle raised texture, and he hums with a tone of questioning towards the other.
"Marks. Thought you knew I had them?"
Jouno didn't. For some reason it made him a little sad.
"They're..."
A silence hung in the air as he let himself admire, fingers dancing gently across the three markings, examining the spacing, memorising the feeling - as though the opportunity to experience them would be lost forever after the moment passed. He could tell the texture of them was different to normal skin, a little bit smoother and with slightly rougher but raised edges that sloped down into the skin almost unnoticeably.
Strands of hair drooped over the area, and Jouno was quick to tuck them away, returning to his tracing with a curious level of interest.
Tecchou shuddered, the area sensitive - somewhat fuzzy at the constant stroking motions. At least, Jouno would assume so. His fingers paused in their motion, deciding to rest lightly on the marks instead of irritating the skin any further.
After a few more moments of thought, he settled on the word.
"Pretty."
Rapidly, the drone of the boy's heart grew intense and faster, the feeling even being felt under Jouno’s fingers that lay on his cheek. Loudly, he could feel the vibrations that came off from his ribs, and tensed up, the sound overwhelming. Though, he let himself begin to relax shortly after as Tecchou puffed out a few breaths, and the incessant beating returned to the normal canter.
Jouno pondered the significance of the compliment to the other.
His fingers trailed away from the markings with much reluctance before making their way downwards, following the plush of the boy's cheek and heading towards the dips marking the deeply set corners of his lips. Jouno noted how they had a slight natural upturn, giving the boy what he presumed to be a gentle looking expression.
At last, the pads of his fingers swiped across the soft skin of his lips, holding the bottom one between thumb and index for a moment, before abruptly letting go.
Tecchou frowned.
"Is something-"
As though shushing him, Jouno placed the fingers back again, and he paused in his speech. Said fingers did not linger, however, and began a swift descent to where his chin sloped before slipping under.
Furrowing his brow, Tecchou glanced downward as far as his vision permitted, before feeling the gentle tickle of his fingers dancing languidly across the spot.
The curl of his lips and the quiet puff of a chuckle had been entirely involuntary, catching even himself off guard as he flinched.
Quickly, Jouno returned to his lips, fingers feeling towards the sides, on his cheeks, before reaching an indent on one side, and smiling widely.
Immediately, Tecchou realised Jouno's intent, smiling a little brighter, amusement in his tone that usually was not there.
"You could've asked me if I had dimples."
"I wanted to see for myself."
Tecchou accepted the answer easily.
He stood still and waited patiently for Jouno to continue, staring with bright eyes regardless of if the other could tell or not. Tecchou never really did things whilst taking into account Jouno's blindness, especially when he knew the other made up for it with his inept senses. If anything, what he couldn't see visually, he could see through audio cues or through sensations, and Tecchou knew for sure his breathing would be a telltale sign in the way it hitched at the small quirk of the other's lips, so very close to his as he held his face in his hands.
Jouno slipped one of those hands into the boy's hair swiftly, curling a finger in the long tufts of unruly hair, feeling through it with an unusual gentleness.
"Are you... done? With, you know."
"Mhm."
Sheepishly, Tecchou tilted his head downward by a few degrees, wringing his hands together to expel some level of nervousness.
"So...?"
"So?"
"What did you- I mean, after, uh... feeling? Do you think...?"
Jouno remained quiet, the only indicator of his presence in the conversation being the fingers now carding through his hair, gentle, pausing at tangles and taking care to undo them before continuing. It was a soothing sensation, calming his nerves despite the lack of answer being chilling and anxiety inducing.
Leaning into the touch, he closed his eyes.
Considering everything, Tecchou supposed he wouldn’t be too upset if Jouno left without an answer, especially with how the situation had turned out so fortunately. After all, he had always presumed Jouno would be against physical affection of any sort, and perhaps he had thought this was the case because it’d be too overwhelming for his enhanced senses. Though, after further contemplation, that preconception was slightly biased as a result of him being too scared to initiate it in fear of a negative response.
Tecchou hated disappointing.
Either way, the curl of fingers in his hair felt like a soothing melody, mellifluous and sweet, singing to his heart in ways he did not endeavour to understand.
At this rate, he could fall asleep at the sensation.
"You're..."
Jouno paused, sucking in a short breath of air.
" Really pretty, Suehiro."
His eyes shot open, staring wide at the shorter man, as his breath grew shallow and quick, mind racing. He braced for a complaint as his heart accelerated, beating abnormally, but all he felt was the same caressing of his hair.
That, and Jouno was smiling. Gently, as though at peace.
Tecchou couldn't apologise for how his heart tumbled, thumping erratically against his ribcage like a bird desperate to be set free.
"You like praise."
Jouno settled on.
It was a statement, rather than a question, which brought a bashful blush of pink to his cheeks, puffing some air in and out to cool the heat that scorched them.
"It feels good from you. I enjoy it- a lot."
Jouno's hand stuttered in his hair, hovering for a moment before sliding down to cup his cheek once more.
"Is that so...