Work Text:
The Jin he knew wasn’t always like this. If it wasn’t for the Clash, his captain wouldn’t be laying on the settee like this and staring into space. But Tohma knew Jin was still listening, even if it seemed like he wasn’t. The vice-captain watched him blow smoke towards the ceiling and decided to continue what he was saying,
‘In other words, we have a corpse walking around.’ Tohma couldn’t help but stare at the other man. He knew how angry the other person would get but he couldn’t help himself, not with Jin’s shirt slightly unbuttoned. Focus Tohma. You’re here to tell him the details, not gawk at a bit of skin.
‘Shall I… call someone over from Mortkranken?’ Ah, I made a mistake . He could feel the anger from Jin’s eyes but he didn’t back down. He was the vice-captain after all.
‘You got a death wish?’
‘I could consult your father instead. I’m sure he’d put his best researchers on-’ Jin threw an item from a table and Tohma stayed silent, merely glancing at the shattered glass. He noticed Jin glaring at the double doors… No, not at them. At something, someone . Who would even dare try and enter Jin’s room?
‘Hey… who the fuck are you?’ Tohma had to keep his composure. He has heard Jin get angry many times, but it was rare he would use such a low voice. He then heard the student stutter an apology and he turned around in curiosity. It wasn’t a Frostheim student.
‘You’re quite brazen for a peeping tom.’ Tohma stated and checked their uniform. It had no house colours like the rest of them, only black. Under no circumstances would a student want to see the Frostheim Captain, unless they want war. This student must be crazy.
‘Tohma. Use a match on her.’
‘As you wish,’ replied the man. Pulling the matches out from his inner pocket, Tohma took a longer look at the stranger’s face. He realised the stranger was someone he had seen before at the entrance ceremony.
‘You’re the new honour student, aren’t you?’ He didn’t wait for a reply since Jin already called out to hurry and wipe their memories. If only the captain was present at the ceremony, then he wouldn’t have to explain. But that was okay, Tohma was there to do his job and be by Jin’s side. Even if everything went downhill, he would stay and fight for Frostheim, fight for… Jin.
‘Captain… the matches won’t work on them, I’m afraid.’ All because of some insignificant curse, he couldn’t even follow Jin’s orders properly. This was really inconvenient.
‘Why?’ His cluelessness was endearing at times.
‘Who knows?’ Tohma couldn't help but smirk and look back at his dear captain.
‘It’s a side effect of her curse, apparently. The Chancellor explained it in person at the Entrance Ceremony yesterday,’ he explained with a shrug, hoping Jin would kick this insignificance out of the room. Tohma smiled smugly as Jin pulled his blazer from beside him and sauntered towards them, still biting his cigarette. Tohma’s eyes followed Jin’s beautiful lips before focusing on the situation: Jin had just slammed his foot against the door, threatening the student with cold eyes. His heart skipped a beat.
‘My room… has anomalous sound proofing. You can scream and cry all you like. No one’s gonna hear you,’ Jin growled. Tohma expected this, but what came out of Jin’s mouth next was outrageous.
‘I don’t want to see your face in here again. Same goes for you, Tohma.’ Jin walked to the other side of the room as the other two left.
‘Tsk, what a pain.’ Tohma scowled at the running student, cursing them behind their back. If it wasn’t for them, Jin wouldn’t be this pissed off and send him away. His Jin would never do that. He threw a glance back at the double doors and imagined: Jin pacing around and running his hand through his hair, revealing glass blue eyes shimmering with anger. Maybe even throwing his blazer on the floor and swearing profusely. Tohma shook his head and let out a sigh.
‘Not now, Tohma. Not now.’
——————
Tohma was minding his business when he heard a commotion. Did his chess pieces catch someone lurking about? He stopped whatever he was doing and went to the entrance to see his chess pieces surrounding three students.
‘That’s enough,’ he called out in a stern voice, folding his arms. To think he would see this… trio messing around in the vault was unthinkable. But even so, he couldn’t just attack anyone with his glass chess pieces.
‘It’s the vice-captain!’ Tohma’s mouth twitched at the sound of Kaito’s voice. Of course he was the vice-captain. If not, what the hell was he then?
‘If it isn’t our second-year duo. To what do I owe the pleasure?’ He saw the damned honour student was also with them and dreaded what was going to come out of their mouth.
‘Um… this person was calling for help…’ Tohma wanted to scoff at them and ask if they were mad. But he kept his composure. He couldn’t just damage Jin’s reputation like this.
‘What person?’ he asked through gritted teeth. Instead of a reply, he had to watch them spin around and look at each other. How infuriating. He asked mockingly, ‘playing hide and seek, were you?’
‘N-no… Professor Dante asked…’ Whatever they said didn’t matter since Jin didn’t like the honour student in the first place. Tohma could only think about his captain: his attractive smirk whenever something pleased him, the stunning glint in his eyes whenever he saw something exciting, his muscles flexing every time he would grab his blazer, his collarbone… His thoughts were interrupted with documents suddenly shoved into his view. He didn’t know if they purposely planned this with hidden intentions, or were actually asked to bring these documents to him. He flipped through the pages, occasionally looking over at the trio with suspicion laced in his eyes. Then, with a slight frown and a pause, he thanked them.
‘Thank you. Indeed, these are the documents I requested. Will that be all?’
‘Yep! That’s all! Sorry to bother you!!’ Tohma’s frown deepened at Kaito’s loud voice. He could tell the second year didn’t want to stay in the vault any longer. He was about to tell them to leave when another voice called out,
‘Wait.’ The vice-captain tilted his head towards the other nuisance. When would they leave him alone? When could he have time for himself? He didn’t even get to see his Jin today.
‘What a terrible day,’ he muttered.
——————
‘You have my sincere gratitude for allowing me the privilege of entering your chambers.’ It was a shame Tohma couldn’t actually enter Jin’s chambers. But there were a few times when he could and he loved everything about it; not only could he see the captain shirtless at times but he loved the scent of mint surrounding them. It felt comforting.
‘You can take your “check” and shove it up your ass.’ Even his irritated remarks were comforting.
‘You heard my voice, then?’
‘Shameless, aren’t you? How did you bypass the soundproofing?’
‘Tsk.’ The vice-captain didn’t want to talk about the honour student this quickly. ‘It seems best to assume what they’re doing really is as simple as bolstering our stigmas.’
‘You used that student.’ And it’s all for you, Jin . Tohma thought. He didn’t want to associate with the honour student, but if it meant helping Jin, he would do anything. Maybe he should get rid of them once Jin was back to his old self. Tohma was distracted when he received an order from Jin.
‘Put on a record for me. Johann Strauss.’
‘Johann who? Which one is that?’ Tohma lied, he knew who Jin mentioned but it wasn’t the time for this. He still had to perform his duties as the vice-captain. He looked at the documents in his hands and sighed.
‘We’re done here. Leave.’
‘I’m not finished. There are new developments in the case.’ And the fact I haven’t seen you all day. ‘This is additional evidence. I sent the video in question to you earlier.’ The vice-captain was clutching at straws to see him at least once, just to clear his head. And he knew his Jin would never leave his responsibilities behind. He was a sweet and caring person after all.
‘There’s an orphanage in Yoyogi.’ There it was, the evidence.
‘Seeing as you’ve deduced so much already, you could join me.’ Tohma’s request was left unanswered. Maybe another time.
‘No. You handle it.’
‘Honestly… hah…’ Tohma made sure to exaggerate his sigh, despite knowing it would irritate him further. Nothing could beat the sexy sight of the angry Frostheim Captain.
‘Don’t give me that contrived bullshit. I told you to stop sighing around me.’
‘I was merely overcome by my gratitude to you. I can rest easy knowing you’ll be safely tucked up in your room behaving yourself.’
‘When did you become important enough to get snarky with me, shithead?’
Tohma was being serious with his comment but the reply was harsh; if it was possible, the vice-captain could obtain the honour student’s ability and help without the two meeting. He could cut off their hand, maybe the ability would-
‘What, are you gonna be the one to sell me out this time?’ Tohma dug his nails into his palms; he would never do such a thing, even if he was threatened or blackmailed. He was loyal to his one and only.
‘You still can’t use it, can you? Understood. Please get some rest. But all you are doing is delaying the inevitable.’ He could hear Jin huff out a laugh.
‘Obviously. This place is a pit of snakes, and I’m a tasty-looking mouse.’ The vice-captain didn’t know how to reply. He couldn’t just apologise or comfort him with words, they would make Jin feel even worse than before.
‘Fuck off.’
‘As you wish.’ This was okay, he didn’t mind. Jin only needed time… yeah, he only needed time, Tohma could wait.
After all, he has already been waiting for years.
——————
‘Jin Kamurai is the eldest son of the president of the Japan branch and captain of Frostheim House. Yet anonymous sources inside the house have reported that his recent behaviour has been questionable.’
Tohma was sorting documents in the vault during the Newscaster announcement.
‘Such bullshit,’ he muttered. ‘I already have a lot to do, and because of these damned students, I’m getting more work.’ He would have to find the student behind this, and maybe even deal with them in secret. But the case also came first. He was deep in thoughts.
——————
Watching the other Frostheim student enjoy talking behind Jin’s back was infuriating. They laugh and giggle knowing it wasn’t their business, spreading the rumours across the school and hoping to bring down the captain. Tohma rang the suspect, calming down the rage inside of him before it would burst. But they didn’t pick up.
‘Yumiko’s not answering… She’s taken me for a fool, it seems. Tsk.’ He clicked his tongue and glanced up the stairs where the double doors laid. He began walking towards the bottom of the stairs, waiting for someone’s arrival.
Three.
Two.
One.
The doors burst open and revealed the pissed off Frostheim Captain, his sword gleaming from the light surrounding them. Tohma heard someone scream but his attention was elsewhere, all his focus on the captain as he swung his weapon and cut a vase in half, the petals and fabric flying around them. It would have been romantic if it wasn’t for Jin’s deadly glare.
‘Captain… honestly…’ He bowed in respect and sighed.
‘The masterpiece news… was it you?’
‘You think so, do you?’ To think Jin would suspect him first, he didn’t know how to feel. He might be poker-faced on the outside, but he was trembling inside, the excitement surging through him and urging him to do something. Anything .
‘My apologies. But there’s one thing I ask you not to forget. I am always on your side.’ To see the captain wordless in front of the vice-captain was a strange sight for the audience. They expected the captain to slice his head off with no hesitation, to fuel the rumours even further. They didn’t expect this. A calm voice soon broke the silence, belonging to the vice-captain who had a smile on his face
‘Your swordsmanship is truly impressive, captain.’
He turned towards the rest of the people and bowed politely.
‘My distinguished guests, our captain has been kind enough to show us some of his skills as part of tonight’s entertainment.’
He raised his head.
‘Did you enjoy the performance?’
His smile was warm, but his eyes were cold. This sent chills down the guests’ back and they all clapped nervously.
‘Thank you for your applause, everyone.’
——————
After all the guests had left, Tohma and Jin were the only ones left. But before the vice-captain could utter a word, he was roughly dragged into Jin’s chambers and pushed up against the wall, with a threatening aura present in front of him.
‘What are you doing?’
Usually, Tohma would enjoy situations like being man-handled by the Frostheim Captain. But he had something far more important. He stared straight into Jin’s alluring blue eyes and tried to calm him down, despite the fact his own urges were screaming at him to kiss him, to distract the captain. The case he was worried about regarded the anomaly from the other day and it was important; if they were unable to subdue this anomaly, many innocent people would be harmed. Tohma didn’t ask Jin to let go of him and instead, he told the captain what he knew about the anomaly and the house.
‘As you predicted, a class B anomaly has appeared in the orphanage. I handled that one, but the case isn’t over. I’m sending the second-years to investigate first thing tomorrow morning. There is something in that house.’ He could feel Jin’s grip loosening after listening to his report about the case, but he still remained where he was standing. Staring right into the blue crystal orbs in front of him, Tohma asked,
‘What are your orders, Captain?’
——————
He arrived at the house just in time to see a figure approach him politely. It was a man in a white suit, bowing with an apologetic look in his eyes.
‘We weren’t expecting you until a little later. There’s still some time before the banqu-’ Before the man in the white suit could finish his sentence, Jin swung his blade across the man’s torso and drew blood. Not the usual red blood seen from humans, no. It was sticky and tar-like with the scent of rotting flesh wafting from it. An anomaly.
‘Don’t make me dull my blade on cheap cuts,’ the Frostheim Captain snarled. The anomaly didn’t understand what Jin was talking about but since it was already exposed, it changed its form, stretching its limbs with the sound of bones crunching.
‘I’ll dispose… of you… right here…’ It dashed towards the captain while screeching, its long arms reaching forward to slash him in half. But someone was a beat faster. A battle axe swung from the shadows and sliced the anomaly cleanly in half, painting the carpet black as the remains disappeared into dust.
‘Always the last to arrive at the party. Nothing’s changed, I see.’ Tohma grinned at Jin, still kneeling from the heavy swing. He saw the slight smirk from his comment.
‘Of course. I’m the King.’
The captain brushed out the dust from his clothes as Tohma stood up; he appeared to be checking his surroundings for any signs of danger when in reality, he was debating whether having Jin and the honour student meet was a good idea. He wanted Jin all to himself so of course he didn’t want them to meet, but he didn’t want Jin to stay in his chambers and be afraid. The captain needed change. He measured the importance of both choices with furrowed eyebrows and folded arms.
‘Tell me where the honour student is,’ Jin ordered, looking at Tohma with those blue gems of his; the vice-captain finally made up his mind.
——————
‘Oh, nice to see you’ve been having fun.’ Tohma was the first one to speak after seeing what the second-year student could do. They were already at the doorway when they witnessed Lucas losing control of his emotions, his eyes wild and ablaze while slashing the dead anomalies repeatedly.
‘Really went wild in here, didn’t you?’ Even Jin seemed to appreciate the strength from this student.
‘To think he took down this many anomalies…’ The vice-captain looked at the fallen bodies, examining the wounds. Lucas might have gone wild with silent rage, but still did a good job at defeating them.
‘T- Tohma! And… Jin?!’ It was Kaito shouting again. But what was surprising was Lucas showing deeply to Jin, introducing himself. The Frostheim Captain never met this new student so he stayed silent and observed, almost as if he didn’t hear the words. Tohma couldn’t help but think: how endearing.
‘Perhaps you could give him a response at the least, Captain?’
‘Jin.’ If his attention was still on Lucas, then maybe he would forget…
‘Tohma. Is that girl tied up over there the honour student?’
Fuck .
He glowered at the honour student and spat out,
‘Indeed.’
He looked away from the sight of Jin striding over to the tied up student to pick them like a sack of potatoes. Tohma clenched his teeth, reminding himself that it was all for Jin, to help him and his stigma.
‘Fuji, lead the children. I’ll carry the ones who can’t walk.’ He already knew what the captain was thinking: having Lucas stay at the back was to protect them from being attacked behind. But as expected, the transfer student wanted to change the order for him to lead the children instead. Was he not aware of Fuji’s lack of confidence?
The exchange between Captain and Transfer seemed like a useless exchange, but Tohma secretly thanked Lucas for his request; despite Jin not being able to use his stigma, the vice-captain could still feel his skin tingle from his regular commands. They had that sort of effect on him.
Their departure from the basement was even worse than he thought, with the damned honour student clinging to Jin’s body, as if to say ‘he’s mine’.
‘Tohma, get up front and clear a path!’
‘I’m carrying a child, you know.’
‘Then make sure you don’t get a scratch on him while you do it.’
‘No less reasonable than the day we met, I see.’
Is he doing this to keep the honour student safe and protected? Tohma thought, glancing at Jin’s face as he rushed past and aimed for the stairs, hacking away at the anomalies piling down the staircase. He could feel the child tightly gripping his blazer, wrinkling the material but he didn’t mind. He only wanted to get the honour student away from his Jin. They’ve gotten out of the basement and started heading up another staircase, towards the top floor.
‘This is slow-going, Tohma. Can’t you get further ahead?’
Tohma gave the honour student a scornful look before slicing the head of one of the anomalies.
‘Spare me a little compassion. One of my arms is occupied, so unfortunately I’m less than efficient.’ The vice-captain realised what he said was possibly a little rude.
‘I’m sorry… I can’t walk, so I’m slowing you down.’ Tohma didn’t mean to hurt the little kid’s feelings. He comforted Riku, reassuring him how he would protect him, whether he could walk or not. They deserved to be protected.
As soon as they reached the top floor, a cold breeze flew past them. It was strangely quiet and peaceful, minus the ruckus of where the stairs were; the stars were visible and the moon was full, all twinkling in the night sky. Tohma looked over at where Jin was: the captain had placed the honour student down and gently cut the ropes, his actions seemed quite affectionate. Tohma, stop overthinking . He mentally slapped himself. There was no reason for the captain to have feelings for them. He saw the anomalies barge through the door, pushing against Lucas’ stigma.
‘Give me your hand.’
Others might not hear it, but Tohma could hear the slight nervousness in his stern voice. Something only he could pick out. As soon as their hands touched, he counted the seconds… Minutes.
‘Captain. We cannot safely stem the tide any longer. We need to get the children to safety.’
Let go of him.
‘I know.’
The longer you hesitate, the longer they’re touching you.
They squeezed his hand.
You…!
‘Bianerus .
Kneel .’
The honour student’s ability worked. Maybe this would bring back his old self again.
‘Is this… Jin’s sigma…?’ questioned Lucas.
‘I expected no less…’ Tohma tightened his hold on his weapon and raised his arm before cutting all the remaining anomalies in half; their blood splattered on the tiles and before their body could touch the ground, they dissolved. They could finally get out of here. The sound of Jin’s private helicopter sounded from above, getting nearer and nearer. But there was still one more anomaly partially affected by the captain’s sigma. It lashed out towards Riku and the honour student had the bright idea of running towards danger. They held the child close and the anomaly was already upon them. With narrowed eyes, Tohma looked at Kaito pulling out his bow and arrow. He didn’t shoot instantly. Any longer and the child could die. The vice-captain took a step forward, readying his battle axe.
‘What are you doing?! SHOOT!’
The arrow flew.
The anomaly groaned.
Tohma clicked his tongue.
While they were congratulating each other, Tohma wondered if he could take care of the honour student without them realising. But maybe not now. Most of them entered the helicopter and Tohma asked,
‘What is your next order, Captain?’
And Jin’s reply made him smile.
‘Destroy the building.’
‘Honestly. You ask too much.’ He raised his axe above his head and closed his eyes. The blade shone under the moonlight, gleaming.
‘ Argeas. ’
He swung the battle axe and the ground immediately cracked, the stone shattering like glass. The building would most likely collapse in a few minutes so they need to hurry up. Tohma helped the children board the helicopter but as he entered the helicopter himself, he heard a yelp and Jin’s voice behind him.
‘What are you doing, idiot?’ Jin had the honour student in his arms, staring at them with soft eyes. The vice-captain felt the familiar emotions building within him, desiring to take over his body. He clenched his hand so tightly he drew blood; without a word, he watched as the captain summoned some sort of portal and walked through it, his arm still around the student’s waist.
——————
Tohma saw the honour student walk into the ballroom with the outfit Jin chose for them. It was a beautiful outfit, chosen by the King himself with the patterns and colours matching. But it was the honour student. The fact they stepped to the side and made his Jin walk to them, the fact they made the King wait. Tohma should’ve just finished them off. The sound of squealing erupted from their side.
‘Again?’ he growled, glaring daggers at the hand holding Jin’s arm. He grew more irritated as Jin’s arms wrapped around their waist and pulled them closer. They swayed and moved awkwardly at first but soon, they were circling the dance floor. Tohma huffed out a laugh and watched them throughout their dance, tapping his feet whenever he saw Jin grin at her as a way to fool the other guests. But he knew the truth. Behind those glass blue eyes of his. The music finished and there was a round of applause for their dancing.
‘I should be polite. Patient and polite.’ He calmed himself and walked over to the honour student, where Lucas and Kaito also gathered.
——————
‘He’s actually very kind, you know. Now, if you excuse me.’ Tohma ended his conversation with the trio and headed towards one of the balconies. He knew Jin would go out on the balcony to smoke, to get away from the stifling ballroom.
‘May I have one?’
Jin wordlessly glanced at the man behind him and held out a box of cigarettes, offering him one.
‘Why, thank you. Please, allow me to light it.’
He pressed the end of his cigarette against Jin’s already lit one. It has been too long since they did this.
‘Drop the act.’
And Jin would act like this too.
‘I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.’
‘You think I can’t tell what you’re thinking about?’
Tohma stayed silent.
‘I’m not this fucking stupid, Tohma.’
The captain glared at the vice-captain and glass blue met lavender eyes.
‘Whatever you’re doing. Quit it.’
The captain pushed the cigarette into Tohma’s hand, causing him to flinch a little from the pain, and left the balcony. Tohma was left alone to think about his actions. But what Jin didn’t know was, Tohma loved these kinds of situations. He hid his real self for so many years now. Maybe it was time for him to reveal it. He smiled with a strange glint in his eyes and chuckled.
‘Oh, Jin. My beloved Jin. You love her, don’t you. I know you too well.'
‘Just you wait, Jin. Just you wait.’
'Ha... hahahaha...'