Work Text:
Korn and Liquiir arrived on Iru’s planet so they would be ready when the Grand Minister called. He requested that the four exempt Universes arrive at the Tournament’s stage ahead of time.
Liquiir was highly interested in seeing this event unfold. He felt an overwhelming sense of pride from being deemed one of the four universes that were doing so well that they would not need to worry about such a damning situation. He could just sit back and enjoy the calamity while everyone else scrambled to survive. It was poetic if anything. Although, he couldn’t ignore the burning realization in the back of his mind: the fact that they could’ve been in that position. However, since they weren’t, it was best to revel in the otherwise rare feelings of victory and joy.
Korn, on the other hand, was indifferent to the situation. Whether they were exempt or had to find fighters, the current events were not bothersome. Even if they had to construct a team, he knew that his destroyer would gather the most capable fighters to bring them home to victory.
Iru was highly relieved that they did not have to worry about finding participants. He wasn’t sure if he could even handle that responsibility. He was sure that his fellow Supreme Kais were struggling to find fighters worthy enough to set foot in the ring. His constant hard work paired with his tendency to overthink were exactly why they were safe from such an awful fight. For once, he was rather proud of his abilities.
They were due to arrive at the Null Realm soon, but naturally, the Supreme Kai had a poorly timed bathroom emergency. With a heavy sigh, they decided that it would be best to handle things now rather than spend 48 minutes futilely avoiding a rather embarrassing occurrence. Of course, he wasn’t out right away, so the duo decided to wait outside. Whenever they would come on-planet, they preferred to sit on Iru’s chair swing while waiting for him. It was always comforting to move with the motions of the wind, like a child would on a playground. Not only did they understand why the Supreme Kai had such a thing installed, but they greatly approved. It was an excellent way to clear a troubled mind.
Lately, the only thing that controlled their thoughts was the excitement surrounding this tournament.
At least, that’s what would be expected. Little would anyone know, there was far more bubbling underneath than just this…event. On a surface level, it would be dismissed as “their heads are in a fog”. But on a deeper level…why, one must know the history of these thoughts before they could possibly understand them.
For a long time, Liquiir had been questioning his sexuality. Korn always assumed that he would be attracted to female Kitsune, but in actuality, Liquiir was always open to the idea of dating anyone. Korn, again, assumed that he would just date a female from any species.
Yet it never crossed his mind that gender would not be a factor, either.
To assist him with understanding his identity, Liquiir would request a trip to random planets in order to find someone to explore his interests with. Usually, he’d never find anyone, but there were a couple of exceptions.
The first was a female serpentine from a planet not far from Liquiir’s homeworld. They appeared to have a lot in common. They were always engaging in joyful conversations, going for long walks, eating colorful foods, and a few other miscellaneous activities. Eventually, they became sexually active. Sadly, that was the beginning of the end. Liquiir quickly realized that he was not interested in her that way. Remaining friends wasn’t an option either, as Liquiir felt far too awkward from the occurrence to be able to look past it. Unfortunately, she passed away a couple of years later in a war.
Coincidentally, her passing occurred around the same time that Liquiir began seeing a male humanoid on a planet near Iru’s homeworld. In Korn’s eyes, they connected quite well. However, he noticed that their sexual engagements were occurring at a faster rate than in the previous relationship. This time, Liquiir enjoyed it! In fact, he was so pleased that he brought the humanoid to his home and they were living together. Korn was pleased to see that his destroyer was satisfied, though part of him resented the humanoid for being the one providing that satisfaction. At the time, he couldn’t understand why.
Sadly, his humanoid lover ended up passing from natural causes while they were out destroying. Iru was on the planet at the time, and he discovered his body. Instead of reviving him, Korn advised that they let him rest in peace. Despite being deeply heartbroken, Liquiir agreed that it would be best. They returned his body to his home planet, but by then, all of his relatives were deceased. They decided to bury him with his family and Liquiir vowed to visit once a century.
Since then, Liquiir had not sought out another partner, but he concluded that, at the very least, he was romantically attracted to male and female beings, but sexually attracted to only the former. He had been thankful for Korn’s assistance, but he never quite got over either lover. Korn had rather mixed emotions towards the ordeal. On one hand, he had unexplained resentment for this humanoid and would’ve rather he remained dead than be brought back to life. On the other, he partially regretted convincing his lord to move on instead of granting him more time with someone that genuinely made him happy. Liquiir’s depressed state following his death only added more weight to his regret.
Despite initially worrying about his performance being affected, Korn did try his best to comfort Liquiir. It took a year before he was able to move forward. Iru offered as much support as he could and worked extra hard in order to decrease the number of doomed planets. Outside of that, he would host the two for tea and discuss the treats that he discovered on other planets. Every so often, the three would travel to said planets and enjoy the discoveries. During that time, Korn found himself enjoying their company much more than usual. He wasn’t sure what to make of them, but these bizarre feelings kept arising within him. Every time he did something to make Liquiir laugh and smile, he felt a warmth bud inside of him. He enjoyed bringing joy and pleasure to his destroyer, but this feeling… was something he was not used to…
Likewise, Liquiir felt closer to both Korn and Iru in the wake of the tragedy. They both went out of their way to keep his mood afloat. While he could deduce that Korn only did it to keep him on track with destruction, he could tell that their concerns and efforts were genuine. For that, he was forever grateful to have them.
Another year passed since the humanoid died and Liquiir pushed forward. It was rather difficult, but his grief became easier to manage and soon he was functioning normally. They would continue their outings, as they found them to be very enjoyable. It was a proper bonding experience that was long overdue.
During one of the outings, Liquiir came across a planet that practically functioned like a sauna. There was water everywhere, but due to the high temperature of the planet’s core, it was constantly steamy. Iru was unable to handle the temperature and often fell ill, so he decided to allow those two the luxury of enjoying the sauna. Eventually, it became a regular trip for Korn and Liquiir. He would sit in one of the pools and rest while Korn overlooked him. The visits would last two hours at most and they would only go once a fortnight, but they were therapeutic for the kitsune. He would lay against the edges of the pool and rest his eyes as the steam overtook his body. The water was comforting and soothing on his fur, and he felt as though he was being held by the clouds of his birth planet. The relief was long overdue, and he fully intended to make up for that lost sensation.
Usually, Liquiir would only have these moments alone, until one fateful visit when Korn decided to join him. Liquiir was taken aback, as this act was highly unusual of him to do on his own accord. However, he did not reject him. He moved over and allowed him the room. Korn simply replaced his usual robes with a brown full-bodied one-piece and sat beside his destroyer.
Nothing really happened.
Korn continued to observe Liquiir leaning back against the edge of the pool, eyes closed and clearly deep into thought. It was no different from any previous session…at least, that’s what he tried to tell himself. His thoughts, on the other hand…
The droplets of sweat caused his fur to glisten. His light breathing corresponded with the sounds of the steam. His peaceful demeanor was adorable to stare upon. His toned chest slowly rose and fell as he took in the warm air. His sighs of relief occasionally escaped him...
They were betraying him much worse than he’d prefer. But that spoke nothing compared to what he wished he could do.
After all that Liquiir had gone through, he wished that he could’ve come to his aid sooner. Korn felt that somehow, he could’ve assisted Liquiir with his sexuality. He wasn’t exactly sure how it would’ve transpired, but he wished that it was him instead of the humanoid that Liquiir slept with. That was the only feeling that was abundantly clear, and he knew it was forbidden. He couldn’t imagine what his father would do if things had gone differently. At the same time, he wasn’t sure how long he could control his desires.
Unfortunately, he’d have to go another 5 years with these bottled butterflies. With every year that passed, his feelings grew more certain and so did the pain. He strongly wished he could’ve said something, but he couldn’t and still can’t. He never could. It wasn’t fair or wise of him to risk Liquiir and Iru’s lives for his own desires.
Liquiir did not find another partner, but he was able to locate an inner peace that continued to carry him through. His trips to the sauna planet lessened to once a month as a result. During each trip, Korn would join him in the bath but they would always sit in silence. Liquiir would meditate to heal from the pain, while Korn would channel his thoughts and bury them long enough to avoid an issue. Iru was still unable to join them, but he would host them for tea after each session. Their overall outings had lessened as well, but only to keep their universe in order.
Then came the Zeno Expo, along with the announcement of the Tournament of Power.
It was a massive relief that they were not forced to participate, especially since they were performing so well as a team. It only served as a minor obstruction of Korn’s train of thought, not that anyone would’ve noticed. He would never allow his face to give away any indication of disorder, a trait he adopted partially from his father.
However, it was extremely difficult for him to keep his thoughts buried by this point. They may have been spared from this tournament, but who’s to say they won’t be safe from the next one? Who’s to say another tournament akin to the Hide and Seek one won’t occur? There’s no telling if or when another event will surface that would threaten his deities. He knew it was wrong, but could he really afford to wait any longer? Technically. Did he want to wait? Hell no.
And now, here they were, with a bit of time left before they were due. Iru was still in the restroom, unsurprisingly.
The wind lightly blew against their backs. The grass softly rustled beneath their feet. Liquiir looked ahead and so did Korn, their troubled minds still running about.
If Korn was going to say something, anything at all, it was now or possibly never.
But, as he was going to open his mouth, Liquiir did so first.
“Korn…I never got to properly thank you for what you and Iru have done.”
Korn was a little taken aback. He turned to Liquiir with a look of confusion. “Of course you have. You’ve done so countless times.”
“I mean I have…” He turned to Korn with a heartwarming smile. “But I never got to properly thank you…”
“I don’t understand…” Korn said honestly. Ordinarily, he could read between the lines, but he was too far gone in his own thoughts to focus.
Without hesitation, the Kitsune leaned over and gently kissed the Angel’s cheek. Korn didn’t have a chance to properly react before Liquiir moved and faced away. His face was turning red and his tails were curled. Korn lost the will to contain his smile. The scene was too adorable to dismiss, not to mention it was the opening he’d been waiting for.
“Liquiir…” He said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I never knew…”
“I apologize if that was inappropriate…” He turned to him sheepishly. “I couldn’t resist and I figured ‘What better time than before a life-altering tournament?’ I-I mean, it isn’t really ‘life-altering’ but it is…going to be a…spectacle…”
He slowly fell silent as Korn moved closer and gave him a longer, deeper kiss. He held his waist gently and pulled him close. Liquiir gladly returned the kiss, holding his waist a bit tightly, yet lovingly. At that moment, Korn felt that his mind would no longer be troubled, as this decision was driven by feelings that were buried for far too long.
They shared a special kind of love for each other that they didn’t understand at first, but was steadily developing as time went on and they spent time with each other. For instance, Korn always admired how Liquiir was a naturally playful creature. Likewise, Liquiir adored how Korn’s natural maturity guided him through his previous issues. To Korn, Liquiir was silly, but highly mature, intelligent, and caring. To Liquiir, Korn was wise, understanding, helpful, and exceptional. Furthermore, he showed a side of compassion that he’d never seen before. The amount of care that Korn showed for his well-being…it ignited something within the Kitsune. Even if it was dismissed as not wanting the Universe to crumble, Korn still went above and beyond to pull him out of his state of misery. In Liquiir’s eyes, that simply was not dismissible as a simple act of restoration. It was something that remained dear to his heart.
And each day that they sat in those springs together…Liquiir had to contain his excitement that Korn began joining him. He wanted so badly to cuddle with him and feel his warmth, but he also figured that it was only a fantasy. Well, a fantasy no longer. As the warmth within his body arose at the thought of freely cuddling and kissing his Angel whenever he desired and vice versa, he felt his heartbeat rise as if he were running.
That love in particular fueled their kiss, especially Korn’s decision to return the favor.
Korn was the one who concluded the kiss.
“I couldn’t resist, my lord. I’m sorry…” He confessed, speaking hardly above a whisper.
“It’s okay…” Liquiir reassured him, gently rubbing his face. “You don’t have to…”
“I wish I said something sooner, but I couldn’t…I shouldn’t have done this, but I had to…” Korn was losing track of his words. His face was flustered and he felt his grip tightening. “This tournament…”
“I know…We’re not even a part of it, yet, I still feel its weight…” Liquiir sighed. “But it had me thinking all day…put a lot of things into perspective…”
Korn sighed from how strongly he related. “I’ve been thinking as well…”
“Why wait?” They both chuckled as they said it aloud. They rested their heads on each as they continued to laugh, feeling embraced by their shared feeling of comfort.
“I see why I’ve never found a partner after all this time…” He looked at him lovingly. “My heart was always wondering if you’d feel the same.”
Korn smiled through his blush. “I guess I should’ve done this sooner…”
“You think?” He chuckled again. “What if I did find someone else?”
Korn just shrugged. “I suppose I’d just keep suffering.”
Liquiir shook his head. “That’s so awful.”
Korn held him sweetly. “Yet I wouldn’t mind doing it for you.”
They sat there for a bit, slowly and gently swinging. Korn tightened his grip and pulled him a bit closer. Liquiir leaned on his shoulder and held him tighter. Korn rested his head on Liquiir’s shoulder and kissed him there. The latter smiled and broke the ice.
“So…does this mean that we’re…”
“Only if you’re ready…” Korn responded, wanting to sound more mature but unable to hide the eagerness creeping into his voice. Liquiir found it adorable. He kissed Korn’s shoulder lightly and nuzzled it adorably.
“I am. Especially since it’s with you…” He responded lovingly.
They pulled away to face each other. Neither did a thing to hide their blushes, but they also didn’t care to.
Korn smiled lovingly. “Well…allow me to formally-”
“I’m so sorry! I’m finally done now! Has the Grand Minister called yet?!” Iru burst through the doors with a wave of apologies behind him. For the first time, he managed to scare Liquiir to the point where his tails fluffed out in distress. Korn, managing to temporarily contain his laughter, was the one to respond.
“He hasn’t called yet, but we should head there now. Wait inside for us,” He instructed. Iru nodded and headed inside, not seeming to notice how they were positioned. Liquiir sighed heavily as his tails settled down, while Korn let out a light chuckle.
“So…I suppose that this will have to wait?” Liquiir asked with a sad smile, which quickly faded to a look of surprise when Korn shook his head.
“Nope, I’ve waited long enough.”
Liquiir chuckled at that. “What happened to suffering?”
“I’m not going to if I don’t have to,” Korn answered straightforwardly, making Liquiir laugh. “So, with that being said…”
He took Liquiir’s hands into his own. “Will you be my boyfriend?”
Liquiir nodded eagerly, his smile growing wider by the second. “Yes, of course, I will!”
“Wonderful. Now I get to do this,” He pulled the Kitsune into his arms and stood up. He held him tighter and closer than he’s ever done and made a point of snuggling in his chest fur. Liquiir laughed the whole time as he held him in return and wrapped his legs around his waist. He adored every moment of this and wished it could last forever.
Korn did him one better. He walked inside and greeted Iru in this exact manner, but to his shocked amusement, the Kai stood proudly with his arms crossed and a knowing smile.
“About time,” He said smugly. “I thought I would die before you two confessed.”
“You could’ve…but I decided that I was tired of waiting.” Korn responded pridefully, placing his now lover back onto his feet and taking his hand immediately after.
“Shall we depart then?” Iru inquired. Korn responded by holding up a finger and giving his new boyfriend one last drawn-out kiss. He even made the extra gesture of holding his waist and leaning him back. Liquiir was caught off guard by the gesture, but he enjoyed every second of it and kissed him right back. The romantic response made Iru shake his head playfully. After another 30 seconds, Korn pulled back and responded with, “Now we may leave.”
With the Grand Minister notified, they were off. Not just to witness an event of a lifetime, but to start a new chapter of their lives together.