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"I win!"
"It seems you have."
Eiji's cheeks puffed up, mouth curling slightly into a pout towards his companion's lackluster reaction "Come on, don't be a sore loser. We can play another round if you want."
He and Matsuyuki currently sat opposite each other under a tree. It was a rare sight to see the ninja mingle with anyone, especially someone as hyper as the young farmer. Eiji caught sight of the ninja while foraging and one thing led to another resulting in him miraculously convining the aloof individual to play a game with him. Rock, Paper, Scissors to be exact.
Eiji proposed a bet- whoever wins three out of four would have the other do something for them.
'Childish...' Matsuyuki thought, but he meant it less like an insult and more of an expression of awe (and maybe slight endearment). He didn't seem too bothered by the little bet considering the kind of person Eiji was, doubting it would be anything close to malicious.
"It's fine. I admit defeat." The ninja replied cooly "Then, what shall I do?"
Matsuyuki anticipated the order to involve food- maybe Eiji would ask for a dish? That can be done rather quickly depending on the complexity. Or, would he like the ninja to fetch Iori? Or perhaps help him with the farm?
Eiji's face seemed to experience a wave of different emotions, obviously browsing through different ideas in his head. Matsuyuki found such quirks of his a little amusing, honestly. It's been a long while since he experienced something as mundane as 'playing a game' under a tree with someone. It felt strange... but, not bad. Nostalgic, even.
He rarely if ever spoke to the town's residents, doubtful that all of them even knew he was living here. The people he spoke to the most were Dosetsu, Iori, and Eiji.
Admittedly, that felt enough for him. A small, tight-knit group had him feel secure and confident about avoiding most surprises that may come his way-
"How about a hug?"
Eiji's voice snapped Matsuyuki out of his thoughts. His piercing red eyes widened a bit if only slightly, betraying some confusion and shock while his entire body remained still- almost too still. Whatever guesses remained in his brain practically evaporated and was replaced with a flood of questions that the ninja couldn't even begin to articulate.
So instead, he just blinked.
Then, blinked two more times.
"I-... pardon?"
The response seemed to trigger Eiji's own panic, but he was much worse at hiding it. His face flared up and turned away, obviously regretting the words that immediately left his mouth.
"Oh, uh- nevermind! Let me think of something else!" Eiji waved his hand dismissively, shoulders suddenly as stiff as the man in front of him "Actually, I'm feeling kinda hungry-"
Matsuyuki could have dropped it, pretending that he really did fail to hear the clear word 'hug'. Then, Eiji would have thought of something else and the conversation would continue on as normal.
However, against his better judgement the ninja prodded- just a tiny bit- enough to let the farmer know he understood.
"A 'hug'?"
Just speaking that word into existence had Eiji flustered. For some reason, Matsuyuki felt a mix of amusement and satisfaction from such a reaction. The farmer loved getting up into his business (though Matsuyuki knew he meant well, he was just not used to it), so seeing the brunette be the one put on the spot this time felt oddly satisfying.
Eiji shifted in his spot, fingers fiddling on his lap as his ears remained a bright reddish hue "I-... Sorry. That was weird. Uhm, I just thought hugging would be... nice, you know? You look very..."
The ninja leaned forward as Eiji's voice softened considerably near the end "Very...? I couldn't hear you."
"H... Huggable."
"..."
"..."
"Oh, I see."
"Sorry! I shouldn't have said that. Oh Goddess, that was weird-"
"Is that why you asked for a hug?"
It seemed like a genuine question. Matsuyuki didn't look nearly as embarrassed as Eiji who swore there was most likely a tiny smirk underneath that mask. Still, the dark-haired man was obviously out of his element and mostly earnest with his replies.
Eiji could do nothing but nod, shuffling restlessly on his spot.
A few moments passed by. Eiji nearly buckled under the pressure of both the silence and Matsuyuki's instense stare when brown eyes saw movement.
"You won the game... so, I suppose it's fair I do as you say."
Two arms awkwardly raised up, but froze halfway as Matsuyuki realized something-
He can't even recall the last time he actually gave a hug, let alone received one.
Suddenly, his body once again felt stiff as self-consciousness took over. His mask moved as he opened his mouth, but immediately realized he wasn't entirely sure of what to say. Whatever he was going to say however, was lost to the wind as a weight pressed against him.
A pair of arms inserted themselves inbetween Matsuyuki's own and his torso, then wrapping around the ninja in a way that couldn't be more gentle. Eiji's head couldn't quite reach the man's shoulder so he pressed his forehead against Matsuyuki's shoulder as he shuffled close.
Matsuyuki made a sound- sort of a mix between a grunt and a squeak. It felt so strange having someone so close without an order to end their lives.
"... You can hug me too, you know."
"Oh."
With his arms still hanginf mid-air, he attempted to copy Eiji's movement as best as he could. Strong arms circled around the farmer's shoulders to reciprocate the hug.
The brunette was of average height but seemed to shrink in size in the other man's arms. He seemed so... small, and vulnerable.
"I'm... not holding you too tight?" Matsuyuki spoke, surprised at how unsure his own voice sounded.
"Oh, n-not at all! You can, uhm, actually hug tighter... if you want to, of course."
Matauyuki thought about it for a moment and decided he did want to.
He pulled Eiji closer, arms riding up the back of Eiji's vest slightly and his masked cheek brushed against messy brown hair. It felt a little ticklish.
Eiji's own hold tightened slightly. Matsuyuki knew this as he was the more sensitive of the two when it comes to movement (comes with the job).
So far, what Matsuyuki senses was a pair of hands gripping the back of his coat, Eiji's face brushing against his shoulder to gaze sideways and rest his cheek on him, and the obvious rapid beating of their hearts.
Neither spoke up about ending the hug, nor were they keeping track of how long they remained like this. It felt slightly awkward with how stiff they were, but it wasn't enough for either of them to straighten up and pull away. In fact, the longer they hugged the more they relaxed and felt no need to pull away just yet.
At some point, Matsuyuki slowly bent back to rest against the tree. Eiji obviously followed, never letting up on his grip on the man and even releasing a sigh of content. The ninja liked the sound of that.
At this point, their heart rates had normalized and both just genuinely enjoyed the silence along with their continuing hug.
It was difficult for Matsuyuki to even describe how peaceful this moment felt since such moments were rare in his life. The sun'a rays felt warm but comfortable, the relaxing forest ambience surrounded them, and Eiji simply lay in his arms with a hold that has yet to weaken.
To hold someone like this... and to be held in such a way was something the taller man realized he had forgotten. It being Eiji, for some reason or another, somehow made it even better.
Though both men had essentially barged into each other's life through unconventional means, even being enemies at one point, it just made their current dynamic all the more amazing and confusing.
Eiji warmed up to him quicker than the other way around. Matsuyuki assumed it was a mix of how he is as a person and the lingering guilt of what he was assigned to do in the first place. Matsuyuki has received nothing but kindness under Iori's care, and now...
A small part of him wonders if he even deserves such a blessing.
...
And before either knew it, the sky began to turn orange.
Their position had adjusted slightly. Eiji came closer as Matsuyuki's legs, initially folded under him were now bent on either side. His legs spread open which gave the farmer more leeway to inch closer, their bodies now completely pressed together.
Both obviously did not want to budge from their spot, as the cooling temperature had both craving each other's warmth more as time went on. However, they knew someone would have to give in as the day slowly came to an end.
Eiji was the one to pull away first.
They looked at each other for a bit, arms still gently around each other. Both could feel the cold breeze pass inbetween them as if to tempt the two to chase that warmth again.
Eiji gazed downward, hands moving from behind the ninja to pressing his palms gently against the other's chest as he created distance.
"I... have to bring the animals back in." His voice was sounded shy with a hint of disappointment that did not escape the ninja's sharp ears.
"I understand." Matsuyuki's hold loosened, pulling his arms away but not before running his palms down Eiji's arm as he did so. You could say a selfish part of him wanted a bit more of the farmer's warmth even with all that he received previously.
Matsuyuki wonders why he feels this way.
They stood up, Matsuyuki extending a hand to help the farmer up on his feet. Though he motioned to let go, Eiji maintained his grip on the man's fingers.
"Uhm..." Eiji began, gazing in numerous directions as he searched for the right words to say after that unexpectedly long hugging session.
Matsuyuki remained silent, waiting patiently for him to speak. Needless to say, he too didn't know what to say in this situation.
"Thanks... for today." Eiji felt his cheeks grow warm "You didn't have to hug me for that long."
"It's fine." He replied, eyes shifting away "I didn't mind. I realize it has been a while since I experienced something like that."
"I see. I'm glad you liked it, ehe."
Eiji seemed like he wanted to say something more, and Matsuyuki seemed like he was also anticipating something. But, the moment came and went with the farmer taking a few steps backward towards the trail.
"Guess I'll be going. Thanks for hanging out with me today! I had fun."
The smile sent the ninja's way felt warmer than usual, and his own face seemed to mimic that same warmth up until the brunette was no longer in his sight.
He stood there for a few minutes, contemplating just what took place from the moment he considered entertaining the farmer's silly game to being left in the cold, early evening craving the warmth that had just left him.
What was all that...? Why did he even go along with something so out of his element? Such a thing would usually result in him disappearing to escape such a weird situation. But, since it was one of the few people he could ever come close to calling a friend... a voice he never knew existed spoke over his sense of reason and said 'why not?'.
Too many things happened today. Well, not a lot but it felt like that to his psyche. Once Eiji left his sights he suddenly felt tired, though less physically and more emotionally.
Another gust of wind flew past him. The hairs underneath Matsuyuki's thick clothing stood up and his brain immediately thought back to their shared warmth.
The ninja shook his head and in the blink of an eye was out of sight. He refused to stay there any longer and entertain such intrusive thoughts for now. Still, he sensed something odd about himself... a strange scent.
He would realize later on it was the smell of Buttercups. They were probably in full bloom now on Eiji's farm...