Chapter Text
Carved rock made for a pretty unforgiving couch. Still, from the looks of the food, Gifso didn't stint on the good stuff. Yami settled in, grabbing a mug of something citrus-y and salty. Vaguely alcoholic, but not strong enough for Yami to be wary. Watching Gifso's game wouldn't be as cleansing as a good fight, but Yami could definitely make this work.
Especially after the Bulls took down four of the Underwater Temple's priests in less than three minutes. Right after Gifso had been bragging about them, no less. Yami laughed as Gifso fumed. Grinning, Yami looked over the monitor spells to check on his less aggressive squad members. Without his permission, his gaze snagged on Finral. The guy was keeping to the shadows, using his portals to stay on the move.
Tactically sound, but Yami wasn't going to let him get away with it.
If Yami had to deal with a sudden attraction to someone unavailable, there was one upside to it being Finral. They were already in a years-long game of finding ways to get the other's goat. Plus, Finral had woken him up with a seawater bath their second day in Raque.
(Along with a fresh breakfast from Suntown, which... was unexpectedly touching. Finral could have just dropped a couple rolls on him and said it counted for the takeout joke. But thinking about it made Yami start to feel mushy again.)
So if Yami felt like working off some entirely understandable frustration after the last week, Finral wouldn't see it as anything other than Yami evening up the scoreboard. And hey, it was that, too.
When Gifso summoned a communication spell and announced that there'd be no leaving the arena until the game was over, Yami took his opportunity.
“Oi, Finral, why are you hiding? Hurry up and fight, or I'll kill you!”
Finral jumped at Yami's voice. Yami smirked. Startling Finral was always worth a point, in his books.
“Eh?! Yami! Wait, are you with the priest?” Finral sounded caught between confusion and rising exasperation.
Yami's smirk widened. He tried to sound matter-of-fact rather than smug when he drawled, “We're enjoying some food and drinks while we watch you guys fight.”
Finral's jaw dropped, his hands going up incredulously. “What?!”
It was absolutely petty to enjoy the way Finral's voice went whiny with jealousy at the realization that Yami was lounging around with appetizers while Finral got lost in a creepy cave. And stalked by fighting priests. Yami didn't give a fuck about pettiness, and enjoyed it immensely.
Especially when Finral wheedled, “Come on, make him stop this violent game!”
With a touch of mocking incredulity at the very idea, Yami replied, “Huh? It's fun to watch because it's so violent.”
Next to Yami, Gifso chuckled. “That's right, that's right!”
Finral's expression went flat and annoyed. Yami smirked at the familiar combination of 'I should have known' and you'll get it later.' It was the same look Finral wore when he got the bill of damages from one of Yami's nights out drinking with his old war buddies.
Yami thought he could see a vein twitch in Finral's forehead as Finral demanded, “When did you two hit it off so well?!”
Pretty much the moment Yami realized the priests weren't truly malicious and the Bulls weren't actually in any danger. Not that he was going to reassure Finral of that; he'd figure it out on his own. Call it training.
“It's definitely no fun if you're not gonna fight,” Gifso commented. From the twinkle in the old man's eyes, Yami suspected he had a way to fix that.
Eyes on Finral, Yami said, “Don't let that coward get away.” Finral twitched again, glaring up at the ceiling of the cave. Yami was definitely going to get it later, but that was what made it fun.
Voice thick with amusement, Gifso cast, “Game Magic: Monster Toy!”
Despite his main goal being to make Finral's life difficult, Yami still noted with approval that Finral's head turned before the giant fish popped into being. He'd sensed the magic forming. Top marks on situational awareness, like always.
But Finral was too slow to escape the game token. It got Yami thinking. He watched as Finral ported free when it swallowed him and kept running, faster without magical enhancement than a number of mages with it. Yami was used to that quick thinking and agility. He trusted it to keep Finral safe from sneak attacks and standard dungeon traps.
Finral hadn't even had time to flinch when Licht had shot at his back.
I've cut him too much slack, Yami realized. He's not made for direct attacks, but that's even more reason to push him past his limits.
Gifso cackled at the spectacle of Finral bolting away from the giant fish. “I should use more of these!”
Now that was an idea. Yami reached into his grimoire belt and found the blank papers and bit of charcoal he kept on him for the rare occasions he needed to note something down. He sketched from memory- though with a few embellishments.
“Oi, geezer.”
Gifso glanced over. Yami grinned, holding up the drawing of one of the nastier fish that lived in the lake a little west of the Bulls' base.
“Let's do this one next. It'll probably kill him!”
Gifso looked baffled, muttering. “Are you sure you're actually on their side?” But he snapped his fingers obligingly. “Nice drawing, though!”
Gifso's version, aside from being several times larger than the real thing, was yellow and orange striped rather than the grey-blue fish Yami was familiar with. It flew after Finral with enthusiasm, fins flapping and teeth snapping. Amused, Yami wondered if Finral would recognize it under the new color scheme.
Yami checked on the others, but his thoughts kept wandering back to Finral. Mildly irritating but nothing new, especially this week. Yami wasn't sure what had been more distracting: Finral deciding he liked wearing the board shorts, or the ladies of Raque deciding they liked it too.
Getting more involved in Finral's training at this particular juncture was going to be frustrating. But it wasn't like Yami could- or would- delegate it to anyone else. Besides, exposure therapy was a thing, wasn't it? Maybe if he spent time with Finral when the guy wasn't at his best- and he was definitely not at his best when training- Yami's libido would cool off.
For the sake of argument, Yami contemplated that for a moment.
...no, Finral sweaty, disheveled, and flushed from exertion and annoyance was not going to cool anything off.
Oh well. Rubbing one out before dragging Finral off to the training grounds wouldn't even make top ten of the weird shit Yami had done in his life. Deal with it and move on.