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“That was too close for comfort.” Yuta breathes as he carries his tired body past the threshold of Jujutsu Tech.
The two of them had just returned from a mission.
What was supposed to be a routine check to a nearby area regularly flooded with low ranking curses, had quickly escalated into a battle with several grade 1 curses.
Yuta still wasn’t sure what had triggered the sudden influx of curses, but he and Toge had been faced with dealing with them just the same.
And from what Yuta could tell, they had both gotten away with pretty minimal damage.
But he would first be able to tell for sure just how hurt Toge was, once they had the chance to sit down and get assessed by Shoko.
“Are you feeling okay? You were using your cursed speech quite a lot.”
Toge nods his head in confirmation.
Yuta doesn’t believe him, not after having been there to experience and partake in the battle first-hand. So when Toge looks up at him and sees the doubt written all across his face, Toge flashes him a quick peace-sign as well - as if that will somehow convince him that everything was alright.
Yuta had reassured Toge that he could deal with the curses. But Toge being Toge, had insisted on helping anyway. Even if it came at the cost of his throat.
It made Yuta feel weak.
While he was able to fight off almost any curse he was faced with, either with the help of his immense cursed energy or with help from Rika, he still wasn’t strong enough to keep Toge from hurting himself.
And then there was the issue of using reverse cursed techniques. He was starting to get the hang of it, after having one too many late night conversations with Ieri Shoko about ‘How it felt when the cursed energy flipped on its head and splashed around and became reversed.’
Honestly, Shoko wasn’t very good at explaining how it all worked, but Yuta was slowly getting better regardless.
Maybe in a year or two, he could actually help Toge with all the negative feedback from his cursed speech? Maybe he wouldn’t have to drink all that disgusting cough medicine, just to alleviate his constantly hurting throat?
Yuta thought that would be wonderful.
They walk side by side to the school’s infirmary, but once they arrive they quickly realise that the place is vacant.
“I guess Shoko-sensei is out.” Yuta laments, sighing deeply, before glancing down at Toge who is walking into the room.
“Tsuna.” Toge waves him inside.
“You’re right, let’s wait for a bit. She might be back soon.”
Toge plops down to sit on one of the infirmary beds, and while Yuta does see the opportunity to go sit next to Toge, he decides to pull over a chair instead.
He doesn’t want to make Toge uncomfortable. Or, come on too strong.
In reality, he knew Toge wasn’t the type of person to be put off by people being physically close. But, for some reason, Yuta was still acutely aware of what Toge thought to the point that it made him feel kind of crazy at times-
“Takana.” Toge says as he leans over to point to his arm.
Yuta looks down at himself, realising that there is indeed a long cut in his uniform-sleeve.
“Ah, right, I think one of them nicked me.” Yuta explains. “It isn’t anything serious. It will probably heal on its own.”
Toge looks at him with blatant disbelief.
Yuta isn’t sure he understands.
“What is it?” Yuta blurts out, in the same instance as Toge scoots over to reach for him.
When Toge’s fingers close around the sleeve of his shirt and he starts to roll it up, Yuta immediately feels his face heat at the attention.
“It is fine Inumaki-kun, I swear. You don’t have to.” he blabbers, but Toge just shakes his head. Not willing to listen to his complaining whatsoever.
He rolls his sleeve up all the way to his upper-arm, before Toge’s violet gaze falls heavily upon the cut.
As Yuta had thought, it is a superficial wound.
The cut runs up from his wrist to his elbow. It is bleeding a little, but it likely won’t leave a scar or anything of a more permanent nature.
Still, Toge’s gaze is calm as he assesses him. Fingers warm and soft against his wrist as he holds his arm in place.
Yuta’s eyes continuously fly from Toge’s face to his arm, heart beating wildly like a bird desperately trying to leave its cage.
“See, it is fine.” Yuta finally breathes, after the silence feels particularly suffocating.
Toge, however, doesn’t look up from his arm. Suspended in a moment, Yuta doesn’t quite understand.
The fact that Toge could worry about him, when really, Toge should worry so much more about himself… It was very much like Toge.
Yuta swallows thickly.
Gathering whatever courage he still possesses, he gently grasps Toge’s hand and removes it from his arm. But, he doesn’t let go of Toge’s hand entirely. Instead, he holds it in his palm and meets Toge’s gaze directly.
“Let me check you too.” He says in a hushed voice.
And though Toge looks surprised at first, his face quickly softens.
He nods, slowly withdrawing his hands to unzip his collar.
Yuta leans closer and though it is such a small thing, Yuta deeply appreciates being able to watch the entirety of Toge’s face.
He had become good at reading Toge’s mood just from his voice and eyes, but he vastly preferred being able to see all of him.
“Tell me if anything hurts.” Yuta says, before he presses his fingers to Toge’s throat.
Toge shivers visibly at the first contact.
“Ah, sorry, my bad-” Yuta chokes out. He rubs his hands together quickly. “My hands are cold, aren’t they?”
He chuckles awkwardly but Toge just grins brightly at him.
“Ikura.”
“Yea, I know, just a second.” He blows into his hands quickly, making sure they are at the very least not icy cold anymore, before he puts his hands back on Toge.
“Does this hurt?” Yuta asks again, as he pushes his fingers into his skin, marking out different areas as he goes.
“Konbu.“ Toge says, a little more quietly.
“You sure? It does feel like you have some swelling.” Yuta notes as he pushes a little more firmly into the heated tender skin at the front of Toge’s throat, just to ensure Toge really is fine.
This time though, Toge’s face scrunches together and he visibly winces.
“It does hurt, doesn’t it?” Yuta murmurs. “You’re pushing yourself too hard.” He removes his hands, instantly craving the physical contact once it is gone. But he won’t be selfish and linger longer than necessary.
He gets up, quickly going to the little fridge-freezer combo where Yuta knew Shoko kept her ice packets.
He pulls one out and returns to Toge with it.
And though he had previously intended to keep the physical distance between them by staying on his chair, he finds himself sitting down on the bed next to Toge without even realising it.
He watches Toge closely, ensuring he is expecting it, before he presses the ice pack to Toge’s throat.
Toge lets out a soft breath at the contact and Yuta once more becomes acutely aware of just how close the two of them are all of a sudden.
But for some reason… it doesn’t feel wrong.
“Shake, Tsuna.” Toge smiles, eyes slowly closing.
“Maybe, I don’t know, I haven’t worked at an infirmary or a hospital before.” Still, hearing that Toge thought he would make a good nurse, was a compliment he hadn’t expected to hear.
“I do hope that I can help out more in the future.” Yuta reveals. “Become better at using reversed curse techniques… Shoko-sensei could use a break sometimes, and the more who knows how to use reversed curse techniques, the better.”
He keeps the ice pack pressed to Toge’s throat, even as the other could probably hold it himself. “And… I want to be able to help you. Specifically.”
Toge’s eyes slowly open and he looks up at him with questions in his violet eyes.
“You get hurt a lot. Because of the negative feedback from your technique. I want to be there to help you with it… More than I am currently able to help.”
Toge is quiet. The moment suspended in motion, as Yuta feels judged under those beautiful violet eyes he adored so much.
“I hope… that would be okay?” He asks stupidly, just desperately trying to fill in the silence to alleviate some of his own anxiety at having Toge being so quiet all of a sudden.
Had he pushed too far by selfishly revealing one of his main motivators for wanting to get stronger?
But then Toge is scooting closer on the bed and Yuta feels like a deer caught in the headlight, the closer their faces get.
Toge’s eyes flit down, then back up to him. And Yuta isn’t entirely sure what is happening but he suddenly gets the feeling that Toge is asking for permission for something?
Yuta swallows thickly, the fingers of his free hand curling into the bed sheets beneath them, while the ice pack is starting to make the fingers on his other hand feel numb.
But he doesn’t dare to move. Not when he can practically count the number of eyelashes framing Toge’s pretty eyes and he can hear the soft rhythmic breaths continuously leaving and entering Toge’s lightly parted lips.
One thought enters Yuta’s mind then.
He wants to kiss him.
And as if being able to read his mind, Toge leans forward.
Everything in the world narrows down into that exact moment in time.
The moment their lips make contact for the first time.
Yuta sucks in a surprised breath at the feeling. He didn’t think it was possible, but Toge’s lips are soft and plump and warm and everything he had secretly dreamed them to be.
He is so warm and so right, and Yuta’s senses are completely and utterly invaded with the smell and feel of him.
His entire body quivers with the realisation of what is happening, and his hand instinctively moves to seek out Toge’s. When he finds it, he timidly interlaces their fingers - Relieved to feel Toge squeeze back, once their digits fall into place.
He then tries to kiss back. Not sure how to move his lips or if he should angle his head or open his mouth or what was the right thing to do.
He didn’t want to fuck anything up.
Luckily though, Toge picks up on his inexperience and presses a gentle hand to his cheek.
Yuta follows the motion and tilts his head to the side, so their lips can finally fit together perfectly like two matching puzzle pieces.
And maybe his technique isn’t flawless. But Yuta is still left with the overwhelming sense that it is perfect just the same.
Dramatic as it might sound, he would kiss Toge just like that until the end of time, if he was allowed to do so.
“Practising CPR in here, are we?”
Yuta jolts back at the voice, ice pack flying out of his hand and landing several metres across the floor.
It is Shoko, wearing a small knowing smile on her lips as she enters her infirmary.
Yuta’s first instinct is to hide himself in a hole and be ashamed about being caught. But that feeling all but leaves his body once he looks back over at Toge.
He is smiling. From ear to ear. Expression void of any shame, as he looks at Yuta with nothing but warm fondness.
And Yuta looks down. Realising Toge is still holding his hand, squeezing it, as if trying to anchor him and make him realise one very crucial thing about the two of them.
“Ikura, tsunamayo.”
Yuta smiles a smile that reaches even the tired creases at the corner of his eyes.
Because Toge was right.
There was nothing to be ashamed of.