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Jouno hisses in pain as his body slides against the nearby wall, he falls to his knees, he’s been shot. “Shit.” Despite the unbearable pain, he tries to stand up, taking a deep breath, everything is alright , he tries to convince himself. Get your shit together Jouno.
He knows that Tecchou is nearby, he hears as well senses that he is not alone in the room, this supposed ability user they have been trying to successfully eliminate has been a pain in the ass for the past two hours. It frustrates him, truly, this was supposed to be his day off, but surprisingly, Jouno can’t relax, even for one day. The universe always finds a way to piss him off.
When he woke up today, he didn’t expect that someone would try to hunt them both down, seeking revenge for the death of a loved one they were responsible for. He doesn’t even understand how this person was certain that it was them. Lost in his thoughts, he almost forgets that he is hurt.
“Jouno-san!” Tecchou cries from the other side, it echoes off the walls. There is a loud crash and then, complete silence; he’s not relieved yet, he can still hear three heartbeats.
He wants to yell at him, to tell him to focus on the current battle and forget about his condition. Jouno doesn’t want to admit that there’s a bigger reason for that, he settles on the mere fact that, if Tecchou gets distracted too, they will both be lying dead in seconds. This person can hear their thoughts, every single one of them. They know what they’re going to do next.
Time ticks by as time does, neither are accelerating nor flinching, for the allotted moment when combat would commence again. And though this is terrifying, Jouno can’t focus on anything else now, his head is spinning, nausea is creeping from his abdomen to his head and the world goes black.
-
When he wakes up the hideous smell of this facility is not gone. They are still there, and his shoulder aches. It hurts so much, way more than it did before.
A heartbeat. Only one.
Tecchou, he is alive. He would always recognise the beating of his heart, it’s… unique, in a sense.
He tries to stand up, even if he is still in pain, but a hand gently pushes him down again. “Jouno-san, you shouldn’t stand up yet. I am not done patching you up.”
“I’m fine. Let me go, Tecchou-san. We need to get back. We need to repor-”
A heavy sigh escaped his partner’s lips, he knows that he is not annoyed, at the same time he cannot comprehend what exactly Tecchou is feeling; the tapping of his foot, the constant sighing, the nervous twitch of his fingers as he is reaching down to touch him. Is he… worried ? No, it can’t be, why would he after all? Yes, they have been partners for quite a while now, but, it’s only been that. They don’t truly care about each other.
He finds that statement rather hypocritical after his brain - the traitor it is - reminds him how worried he had been only a few minutes ago, how Tecchou’s safety had been the only thing on his mind, even after he had been shot.
“I called them already. Now, let me finish what I have been doing.” Tecchou mutters under his breath, “Please.”
He wants to ignore him and do as he wishes but when Tecchou speaks, his deep voice is magnetic to the core, as if he's able to resonate with all of him when others can barely achieve a fraction of it, his partner doesn’t know he has that effect on him and he never should. Jouno turns away, the other is staring right at him.
“Fine, do it quickly.” he orders, clicking his tongue to emphasize how irritated he is because of the situation they are in. Jouno is desperately trying to contain his anger but his fists are clenching, until they pale. He can take care of himself just fine, he doesn’t need anyone to do that for him!
He doesn’t even know how to feel due to this unbearable pain. Everything hurts now. Every damn thing.
“The ability user?”
“Dead. I killed them myself.” Tecchou answers, almost instantly. “I removed the bullet by the way, while you were unconscious. You’re going to be fine, it didn’t do a lot of damage.”
“And you believe this statement is simply going to fix everything?!” Jouno finally snaps at him, groaning loudly. He shouldn’t have left his house today, and most importantly, he shouldn’t have agreed to join Tecchou in whatever morning stroll he was planning to take. Why did he even agree in the first place? Everything had gone to hell.
Surprisingly, his partner doesn’t move away, he doesn’t even flinch. “Jouno-san… you need to stay still. I need to patch you up.'' This time, he reaches to gently touch his upper arm and Jouno’s heartbeat - which had been keeping a steady rhythm - it’s tempo now raises into a new genre all together.
It seems that it doesn’t have the same effect for Tecchou, who only keeps his hand there for a few seconds and then reaches for something next to him. Jouno assumes that they have to be bandages, his heartbeat steady as it always is.
“You’re so… annoying.” he only manages to mutter, hoping that this distracts Tecchou from the uncomfortable silence and the true reason behind it. Jouno clears his throat, “Get on with it. Why are you still looking at me, I can sense that you’re staring you know. I am not dumb.”
His partner doesn’t reply, perhaps too stunned to say anything due to his sudden bluntness. He starts to treat his wound, occasionally pausing to mumble something to himself, he barely understands what he is saying, it’s almost incoherent. He sounds like he is worried, extremely worried. Is it that bad? Jouno silently wonders. Tecchou had insisted that it was nothing, but perhaps he was lying to him, an unlikely scenario to happen but not entirely impossible.
“You shouldn’t have attacked him, you should have waited for me.” a voice rudely interrupts these thoughts. “We are partners, aren’t we?”
“H-Huh?!” Is Tecchou trying to scold him now? He can’t even recall the last time someone has done that to him. He must have been a child. A faint blush is searing through his cheeks and he is practically fighting to stay still, in fear that he will hurt himself more. He swallows his anger, even though self control had never truly been his forte. He knows that how someone deals with their anger is vital , perhaps Tecchou is trying to get a reaction from him, perhaps he is doing this on purpose. Jouno is not going to let him win, he will have to find a way to let it out in a safe manner.
“If you don’t shut up, I will kill you.” he merely whispers. “I will do it, don’t you dare lecture me.”
“Jouno-san, I know what I said, I am simply stating tha-”
“Simply stating?! It sounds like a lecture to me? You’re not my mother!” Jouno hisses, “And I am not five years old!” he wants to say so much more, perhaps hurtful words which he will secretly regret later. This is making him feel like a child though, and he hates it when someone treats him like one. He can scold Tecchou all he wants, but when it comes to the opposite there’s something that makes it unbearable.
He doesn’t notice immediately but the other man is leaning closer to him now, so close he can sense the hot breath on his neck and can smell his perfume. Why would someone wear perfume of all things while he’s out for a stroll with his partner, he doesn’t understand. He tries not to focus on that small detail, it should have gone unnoticed anyway.
Certain that Tecchou has been able to see the shock register on his face before he could hide it, Jouno’s face is now a lovely shade of pink, just like the plum blossoms his partner cherishes. Plum blossoms in the snow, what an obscure name for an ability, yet Jouno is almost identical to it now, his hair white as snow, the tips fading into red and the color of his cheeks trying to rival even that.
“I was worried...” Tecchou finally admits, and now his breath is hot against Jouno’s cheek, he has moved even closer to him.
“Tecchou-san, what… are you doing?” Jouno’s voice is barely above a whisper. They had never been so close, and due to his confusion he reaches upwards to touch the other man, cupping his cheek with trembling hands. “You’re too close.” he warns.
Before he can do or say anything else, Tecchou’s lips alight on his cheek like a dew freckled petal caught in a breeze, so soft and with the smallest hint of coolness. This time, the other man’s heartbeat is going crazy, it’s beating so fast Jouno is scared that his partner’s chest will burst.
He knows that he would have normally pushed him away, he would have done that to anyone. He would have probably punched him as well but he has gone completely still now, he is not able to act, he is not able to even speak as if he has been mysteriously frozen in place.
This time, he can feel his lips ghosting over his, Tecchou is not closing the gap, but he is not moving away either. He is leaning into the touch of his hand, as if it is what he has been craving for so long. They are only inches apart, but Jouno is afraid, he feels drawn to him, he wants to do it, and so does Tecchou, he knows he does.
This would be risking everything though, even the faint kiss on the cheek, it is still there. Jouno quickly turns away, clearing his throat. “Did you… finish?” he asks, all he feels now is bitterness. Tecchou’s lips would have been so sweet.
“I did…” Tecchou replies after a while, a bit lost in his own thoughts. His heartbeat is steady once again, there’s nothing peculiar about it any more. There’s no warmth on his cheek either, the kiss has long fainted.
Jouno finds himself missing that already.