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Battles were hard. So much to predict, so many things you had to keep your eyes on.
Woz was no stranger to fights by far, but even he wasn't above messing up every now and again. You could only keep your head straight for so long before something was going to slip through the cracks of your judgement.
And unfortunately for him that entailed accidently getting into the line of fire instead of out of it.
It hurt a lot. Woz crashed to the ground, untransforming. He winced in pain as he tried to move. Everything hurt, he couldn't even register what was causing the pain. His senses were far too overwhelmed.
"Woz!" He heard Sougo worriedly calling his name.
The sounds of fighting came to a stop. A hand was placed on his shoulder. Woz managed to shift his head and look. Sougo was knelt down beside him, looking him over.
"You idiot, Woz. You're lucky you didn't get hurt worse." Sougo said, already moving to help him back to his feet.
Woz winced at his words, a feeling he didn't like starting to swell up into his chest. "I... I'm sorry, my demon king. I didn't... mean to."
Sougo paused, seeming surprised by his words. "I know you didn't mean to. Why are you apologizing like that? Do you think I'm mad at you?"
"Aren't you...?" Woz refused to look at Sougo.
"No. I'm worried about you. I just panicked a bit. Sorry if it seemed that way. Come on, can you stand?" Sougo started lifting him upward.
Woz struggled, but managed to get to his feet with the help. He kept his gaze low.
"Can you walk? Let's get you some help."
Woz just numbly let Sougo drag him along. He barely registered what was going on. He couldn't stop thinking.
Sougo said he wasn't mad but... why wouldn't he be? He had gotten hurt in such a stupid way. He deserved to get scolded.
Woz winced, getting drawn back to reality to find they were back at Sougo's home. Sougo was treating his wounds in silence. Woz watched him work away for a bit. Did he really deserve the help with treating his wounds?
"I'm sorry." Woz repeated quietly. He shouldn't need to be in this position.
Sougo looked up at him. "Why are you insistent on apologizing? I told you it's okay."
"I..." Woz trailed off. How did he begin to explain why he was reacting like this.
"Woz. What happened?" Sougo questioned, sounding quite concerned.
"Oma Zi-O... didn't like when things went awry. He was... very mean." Woz admitted quietly. He didn't want to go into more detail than that. Even just thinking about it was making his stomach churn with dread.
"Eh?" Sougo's eyes widened. "I... I'll never hurt you like that. Accidents happen. It's not your fault."
Woz tried to not react. Didn't want to show how doubtful he was. This Sougo before him was supposed to become that very man who did all of that. Was that going to change? Then why wasn't the future changing already? Nothing was going to be different.
Sougo placed a hand on his cheek, making Woz tense for a moment. He hesitantly looked up at Sougo.
"Woz, I won't hurt you. I'm going to be the kindest demon king, remember? I won't ever hurt you." Sougo said.
"But... the future isn't..." Woz stopped himself. He shouldn't bother Sougo with his worries.
"Maybe not yet, but the future will change. We're going to make sure of that." Sougo was firm, his posture one of confidence.
Woz gave a small nod. His mouth felt dry. He didn't dare try to say more. Didn't want to put more of his worries onto Sougo. It was bad enough he even found out about this.
He thought he got better at hiding his reactions than this...
"Are there any more cuts I need to treat? I think I got the ones I could see." Sougo asked, taking his hand off Woz's cheek and looking over the bandages he had already placed.
He missed the touch once it was gone.
"I can just heal them later, my demon king. You do not need to worry so much." Woz replied quietly.
"But I want to." Sougo met his gaze. "It's the thought that counts."
Woz averted his gaze. He hated this sometimes. How easily Sougo could talk to him like that. Nothing like the one he had grown used to.
"Are you okay?" Sougo asked, moving to bring his face close to Woz's. "Do you need anything else?"
"I... I'm fine." Woz said.
Sougo stared at him for a moment, before he cupped his cheek and drew him into a kiss. Woz's eyes widened for a moment at the sudden gesture, but he offered no resistance, letting himself sink into the kiss.
Sougo pulled away, keeping his hand on Woz's cheek once more. "You can talk to me, you know. I love you. I don't want you to be afraid to tell me anything. If I'm going to fix the future, I got to know what I need to work on. Right?"
"Y-yeah. I... I'll try to open up." Woz stammered.
Sougo flashed him a smile. "Thank you. I don't know what the future me is like, but I never want to be like him. You're enough the way you are. You might not be perfect, but you don't need to be."
"I... thank you..."
Maybe... maybe the future wasn't going to be so bad. He just... had to wait. One day... this would all be different.