Chapter Text
Tai knew it was a bad idea the moment he blinked awake in his bed, the familiar blue wool blanket feeling like sandpaper against his skin. It was already nine in the morning, and he was still busy trying to focus his vision. A deep, unnatural chill had settled in his bones, and his throat felt like he’d swallowed a bucket of coarse concrete dust.
He wasn’t feeling well.
“No,” he croaked to himself in the empty place, his voice a ragged whisper. “Absolutely not.”
Across the wide, meticulously organized base, his clock ticked, a neat contraption of redstone and glowstone, and an item frame holding a daisy, flaunted its beauty softly. It was a Thursday. Duel day. A weekly arranged meeting between him and Rejoice.
Something that Tai would never even dare to miss, even if it means death knocking at his own door. See, the thing about Rejoice is that his ego is a bit… inconsistent, but definitely too high whenever a situation involves Tai, something that never made any sense to him, considering that Rejoice wasn’t that more skilled that him—just a tad bit better.
The sole thought of not showing up… of leaving Rejoice waiting at their usual spot in that taiga biome, that infuriating, confident smirk undoubtedly on his face… It was unthinkable. Their weekly clashes were as much a part of the server’s rhythm as the sunrise. A tradition built on equal parts rivalry and something else Tai refused to name.
Groaning, he shoved off the blanket and stood, the world tilting slightly. He staggered to his chest, pulling out his best armor—enchanted netherite, the white trims muted in the morning light filtering through his window. He fumbled the chestplate, the heavy weight almost making him stumble.
Just a quick duel, he told himself, pulling on his boots. In and out. I’ll beat him so fast he won’t even have time to make a stupid joke.
He knew it was a lie.
***
The taiga was serene, the tall spruce trees dusted with frost from the weather. Their designated arena was nothing special of sorts, a cleared circle of podzol with a bunch of mossy cobblestone placed together. Not to mention it was a public battle space that anyone and everyone can come and go to however and whenever they liked.
It was a miracle they managed to talk to the admins for private usage every Thursday.
Yes. Talk. They definitely didn't bribe them or anything.
Rejoice leaned against a particularly large tree, idly flipping a netherite sword in one hand, his totem tucked safely in his pocket. He was in full armor, full netherite covering his entire body as if everything that surrounded him was full of danger. And in all honesty? They were.
Their server is an anarchy server. Fights are constant and almost unavoidable, with random traps covering almost their entire spawn area. Getting jumped was more likely to happen than not.
“You’re late,” Rejoice called out, not looking up from his sword. “I was beginning to think you’d finally developed a sense of self-preservation.”
“Had to stop and admire your base from a distance,” Tai shot back, willing his voice not to crack. He walked into the clearing, hoping his steps looked steadier than they felt. “The lack of architectural cohesion is truly breathtaking. Is that a dirt hut attached to a quartz palace?”
“Not like you’ve ever actually seen it or anything,” Rejoice finally looked up. Tai’s words passed from one ear to another.
He’s right, he was just lying. Tai had never even seen Rejoice’s base, mostly because he didn’t bother to care, and maybe a little part of him was a bit scared. “You should visit sometimes,” Rejoice calmly stated, his grin obnoxious and ready.
But it faltered.
Just for a second.
His eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, narrowed slightly. “Well, you look like shit.”
“No shit, sherlock. You know I had to be awake last night just to guard my own goddamn base because my teammates were logged out.” Tai spat.
Rejoice snorted before pushing himself off the tree. “No, seriously. You’re pale. And is that a sweat? In this biome? Does your body think you’re in the middle of a warm forest or something?”
Tai rolled his eyes. “I ran here,” he lied, pulling his own sword from his inventory. The familiar breeze and scenery were somewhat comforting. “Are we doing this, or are you going to critique my complexion all day?”
Rejoice’s scrutinizing gaze didn’t leave him, but he slowly popped multiple potions and equipped his shield. “Fine. But when you lose, I’m blaming it on your poor life choices, not my superior skill. You don't deserve it.”
Tai rolled his eyes, expression contorting from being deadpanned into that of disbelief, before walking forward.
They took their positions, twenty or so blocks apart. Everything around them became muted; their senses only focused on each other.
Then, Rejoice moved.
He was always faster, a whirlwind of chaotic aggression that just never seemed to come to a halt. Tai parried the first strike, the clang of netherite on netherite ringing sharply through the quiet forest. The impact shuddered up his arm, making his body ache more than it already was.
“Slow today, Tai?” Rejoice danced back, already circling. “Forgot to feed your weapons enchantments? Worrying about your precious poor strength and pride?”
Tai tried to ignore the taunt and instead focused on his stance. “Just giving you a head start,” he gritted out before launching his own attack.
The duel unfolded, but it was wrong. So wrong. Tai’s timing was off, his reactions sluggish. He misjudged a simple sidestep, and Rejoice’s blade grazed his shoulder, taking a sliver of health. The world did a nauseating little spin.
He pushed through, landing a solid hit on Rejoice’s ribs that made the other man grunt. “See? Plenty of fight left. You should check your eyes out.”
But his vision was swimming. The vibrant greens of the ferns, the rich brown of the trees, were bleeding together. And his head also hurts like a bitch—throbbing so painfully and unapologetically. Rejoice feinted left, and Tai fell for it completely, stumbling forward as Rejoice’s sword came in from the right.
He managed to block at the last second, but the force knocked him back several steps. His boot caught on nothing but the ground.
Time seemed to slow. He was falling. The sky, a patch of gray through the spruce canopy, tilted wildly. He hit the cold, damp grass with a thud that drove the air from his lungs.
Before he could even try to get up, the cool tip of a netherite sword was at his throat.
Rejoice stood over him, breathing slightly harder than usual. Victory was clear on his face, but it was mixed with something else—concern, cutting through the triumph.
“Yield?” Rejoice asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft, lacking its usual cockiness.
Tai closed his eyes, humiliation and fever burning through him in equal measure. “I yield.” He finally accepted.
The sword vanished from his neck. Instead of a gloating remark, Rejoice offered a hand. Tai stared at it, then up at his rival’s face, looking at the guy like he’d just grown a head. The teasing glint was gone, replaced by a focused intensity. “Come on. Up you get, baby”
If looks could kill, Tai could've already erased the entire server with his glare. But it's okay. It's okay, it's fine. Rejoice had been calling him that since their end battle, it's fine. He's already used to it.
Right?
Well, funny, no. He's not. Baby. It was embarrassing, it was annoying, it always caught him off guard. Made his heart skip a beat that would've been fine if it was in a different context. It didn't help that every time that word leaves Rejoice’s mouth, it's always either muttered teasingly or intimately.
After a pause, he finally took the hand. Rejoice’s grip was firm and warm, searingly hot against Tai’s own chilled skin. He hauled him upright with surprising ease, but didn’t let go immediately, his other hand coming up to steady Tai’s shoulder as he swayed.
“Whoa. Easy.” Rejoice’s face was close now. Too close. Tai could see the faint speckles in his cheeks, the way his face looked too soft, like he’d never even been in a fight before. “You’re burning up.”
“I’m fine,” He muttered, trying to pull away. The motion made his head pound, and he stumbled again, this time forward—directly into Rejoice.
Rejoice caught him, his arms coming around Tai’s shoulders in an unyielding hold. For a dizzying second, Tai was surrounded by the scent of pine, woodsmoke, and the faint, clean smell of Rejoice himself. Of sunflowers. His netherite armor was cool, but the body beneath it was solid and warm and just so good to wrap himself around with.
“You are very much not fine,” Rejoice said, his voice a low rumble near Tai’s ear. The amusement in his tone was sharp, almost indignant. “You’re sick, you idiot. Why did you come? Did you really think that fever would earn you my sympathy? Pathetic.” The last word was harsh, but the arm holding Tai up remained unyieldingly solid.
“Thursday,” Tai mumbled into Rejoice’s shoulder, too tired and too warm to be properly embarrassed. “Couldn’t miss it.”
Rejoice was silent for a long moment. Then, he sighed, a sound of profound exasperation. “You are a fucking idiot.” He shifted, pulling one of Tai’s arms over his shoulders. “Alright. No more fighting for you. Your base or mine?”
“What?”
“You can barely stand. You’re not walking across the server alone. So, which is closer? Your underground monstrosity or my beautiful, unique masterpiece?”
“No. No. No way I’m coming with you, you sick psycho.” Tai gritted out and once again tried breaking free from the other’s hold. But he was, admittedly, weak at the moment, and Rejoice’s grip was strong; it was certain, solid.
“And just freeze up and fucking die?” Rejoice retorted.
“Are you stupid? I am not that weak to die from a fucking fever!” Tai argued back, eyes glaring with sharp intensity.
Rejoice just stared at him for a moment before letting go of the other. Tai immediately lost his balance and went down, collapsing on his back to the floor. He was breathing heavily, eyes hazy and unfocused. Tai looked pathetic, stupid, and weak.
“You’re cute, but clearly, your brain lacks any cells. You think you can survive here out in the wild? You’ve a generous bounty on your head, who’s to say no one would find you lying there and already half dead?” Rejoice taunted, towering over Tai’s body. You can’t even contact your team; message chats are down.”
“And who’s to say you wouldn’t end up killing me?” Tai doubled down. He then closed his eyes before opening them again; his vision was getting blurry, and his whole body was heating up. He needed to do something about it. “I have pearls. I can use them to get back to my base.”
“Well, tell you what, you sick fuck, using pearls while sick is basically a death sentence.” Rejoice replied, earning a weird, bewildered look from the man lying down.
“I'll take my chances.”
“You're an idiot.”
“It's just a fever, it couldn't possibly get that bad.”
Rejoice sighed. “Have you no knowledge about how shits here work?” He forcefully grabbed Tai’s hands and pulled him back up, causing the guy to yelp and let out a string of curses—an action that Rejoice paid no attention to.
He helped Tai steady his weight by wrapping a hand around his waist and settling the other on his back. “Pearling while being sick has its own shitty consequences, tried and tested it myself. It was not a fun experience.”
Tai didn't even get a chance to retort back because Rejoice already beat him to it. “Besides, a fever is detrimental in this server. Believe it or not, it could get you killed.”
Tai bit his lips in contemplation. “...You’re being very insistent.” He muttered, though without the usual energy behind it.
“Only this time though,” Rejoice responded.
“Yours will be fine… mine is…,” Tai trailed on his words, unable to exactly describe the state of his base.
“Well, looks like we’re taking mine,” Rejoice grinned, staring at the man in his arms, who seemed to be lacking his senses.
The walk to Rejoice’s base was a blur of stumbling steps, mumbled protests, and Rejoice’s relentless, surprisingly gentle chatter.
“—and the best part is, I’ve almost got the entire team fooled. Like, they were so oblivious and too stupid to even piece anything together. They legit only noticed something’s up when I deliberately slipped up—”
“Right…” Tai grumbled, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. If not for Rejoice’s arms guiding and supporting him, he would’ve definitely stumbled to the floor.
“Wow. You can’t really judge me, you’ve a reputation of fraud and other shits yourself—Oh, yeah, we're here.”
Rejoice’s base was, as promised, a masterpiece of architectural anarchy. A sprawling, multi-level structure that seemed to be built from every block type available, it somehow worked. A grand entrance of dark oak and quartz led into a vast main hall with a vaulted glass ceiling. One wall was a functioning aquarium, glowing with tropical fish. Another was covered in framed maps. A bunch of planted sunflowers was facing the window, following wherever the sun goes.
It was warm, lived in. And so… yellow.
“No comments about the aesthetic. It's a decent place with an actual person enjoying its comfort.” Rejoice warned, steering Tai toward a plush, crimson sofa near a massive fireplace. “Do you need me to help you take off your armour or not?”
He deposited Tai on the sofa, which was sinfully soft. A wave of exhaustion crashed over him, and he sank into the cushions with a groan. Staying here, being guided and being taken care of by Rejoice, Rejoice acting so nice and gentle, it was all so… foreign.
“I can do it,” Tai replied, voice hesitant.
It was like touching unexplored territory, one that would either kill or save him.
He hoped it would be the latter.
“Alright. Now, you stay,” Rejoice ordered, as if Tai would even dare move. He strode across the room to a brewing stand bubbling merrily on a nearby table. He began pulling bottles and ingredients from neatly organized barrels.
Tai watched through half-lidded eyes and internal disbelief. Rejoice moved with a focused efficiency that was at odds with his usual chaotic energy. He measured nether wart, added a glistening melon, and then something else Tai couldn’t really name. Rejoice's brow furrowed in concentration. The light played across his features, softening the usual sharp lines of his smirk.
Though when all is said and all is done, Tai knew he still couldn’t trust Rejoice. They have a history of teaming up and then betraying each other afterwards. It’s a cycle, something that will never be broken even if they try so hard to prevent it. It’s in their very own blood, the very fiber inside their bones, imprinted in their souls.
It was non-inevitable. It’s not even a secret that they both have issues; in fact, everyone on their servers has their own issues that oftentimes negatively affect people. Just that Tai’s runs deeper than Rejoice’s.The fact is, Tai’s was much worse. He was much more destructive, more stupid—uncontrollable, he’s an asshole. A shit. He uses everyone for his own gain, doesn’t even hesitate to betray or just leave the people he’d grown close to the moment he deems them useless. A liability.
But that’s the thing, isn’t it? Tai was more than not the liability. All he needs to do is act like he’s the one orchestrating everything, that he knows more than what the others do. Keep insisting that he knows what he’s doing, even though he totally doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing.
Almost everyone on this server was just as stupid and gullible like that. Including Tai. He didn’t even have to put that much effort into manipulating anyone. All he needs to do is act like how he genuinely is when in distress and make up some elaborate convincing lie. He doesn't really need to show evidence for anything.
And Rejoice… Well, he was… someone. He’s got the looks and is chaotically good at PVP, Tai will give him that, but his other characteristics? No. He’s like a tick that refuses to let go. A ticking time bomb that’ll either explode and destroy Tai or just fail to detonate.
And Tai knows that Rejoice knows that Tai knows Rejoice also wouldn’t hesitate to betray him once he’s done playing with him.
“What are you making?” Tai asked after a few moments of silence, his voice now a littpe raw.
“A little something to take the edge off. Call it a ‘Get Well Soon So I Can Beat You Fairly’ potion.” He shot a glance over his shoulder, his grin returning. “Don’t worry, I’ve tested this batch on myself. Worst-case scenario, you turn yellow. Which, honestly, I would be pretty amazed to see you turn into my favourite color.”
Despite himself, a weak laugh escaped Tai, which immediately turned into a harsh, wracking cough that made his ribs hurt. Damn his poor decisions in life.
Rejoice was at his side in an instant. "Didn’t I told you to stay?" he tsked, his voice laced with a concern. He gently guided Tai to sit up straighter. “You can’t be laughing one second and gasping for air the next. I don’t need you kicking the bucket; I can’t have you dying on my couch.”
Tai sent him a sharp glare, but before he could muster a retort, Rejoice was gone, returning a moment later with a steaming glass bottle. The liquid inside swirled a gentle, healing pink. “Potion of Healing, decent grade. Takes the edge off the fever and helps with the hunger thingy. Less kick, more of a… gentle pat on the back.” A faint, almost shy smile touched his lips. “I stirred in some honey.”
Tai took the bottle. Their fingers brushed, and a spark, subtle but undeniable, jolted up Tai’s arm. He could feel his heart beating faster, his whole body heating up more and more. He decided to blame it on the fever. “Since when are you a healer?”
“Since my favorite rival decided to duel with one foot in the grave.” Rejoice settled on the edge of the sofa, close but not touching. “Drink. Slowly.”
Tai stared at the concoction, a flicker of his old suspicion surfacing. It bubbled innocently, but with Rejoice, one could never be sure. The guy had a very… interesting past of messing with people, be it his teammates or not.
Sensing his hesitation, Rejoice’s expression flattened into something exasperation. “I already told you, it's a potion that’ll help you with your sickness, you paranoid wreck. I’m not wasting good Weakness on you when you’re already this pathetic.”
He plucked the bottle from Tai’s hand, took a quick swig, and swallowed. A beat passed. He didn’t convulse or change color. He merely wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shoved the bottle back at Tai. “See? Baseline grade. Just enough to stop your whining. Now drink. I need you coherent, not comatose.”
Chastised, Tai took the bottle and brought the bottle to his lips. Contrary to his beliefs, the potion was sweet and warm, spreading a soothing heat through his chest that seemed to melt the icy ache in his bones. The relentless pounding in his head dulled to a distant throb, and the fever’s sharp edge softened, leaving behind a deep, heavy weariness.
“Better?” Rejoice asked, his voice holding a note of poorly hidden pride for his potion.
“A little,” Tai admitted.
Rejoice nodded, then stood and dragged a wooden chair over, placing it directly in front of the sofa. He sat down and, without preamble, reached for Tai’s hands.
“What are you—” Tai started, trying to pull back, but his movements were sluggish.
Rejoice’s grip was firm, impersonal. “Checking you,” he said, his voice calm as he turned Tai’s hands palm-up, examining them like a mechanic assessing a tool. His thumbs were gentle; they pressed into the tense muscles of Tai’s palms and the joints of his fingers with probing, weirdly refreshing pressure. “You forfeited your right to protest when you decided to insist on dueling me, knowing damn well you weren’t fine.” His touch was somehow both invasive and soothing, finding knots of tension Tai didn't know he had and working them with ease.
It was so refreshing that it looped back around to feeling intimate. A rival knowing your body’s failures that well. It was a comfort so foreign and gentle that he didn’t know how to react.
“Sore here?” Rejoice asked, pressing a particular spot near his wrist that made Tai flinch before calming himself.
Tai didn’t speak; instead, a soft, involuntary sigh escaped him, heavy with relief and surrender. It was enough for an answer.
He let his head fall back against the sofa cushions, staring up at the exposed beams of the ceiling as Rejoice’s warm, capable fingers worked their quiet magic. The simple, caring act unspooled something tight in his chest. “Why are you doing this?” he asked after a few minutes, the question barely more than a whisper.
“The potion? Well, I need you in top form for my victories to be meaningful. A hollow win is just a pathetic trophy.”
“No,” Tai said, finding a sliver of strength to turn his head and meet Rejoice’s downcast eyes. “All of it. Not just… not leaving me in a heap in that arena.”
Rejoice’s hands stilled for a moment. His thumbs rested lightly on Tai’s pulse points, which now felt like they were beating a frantic rhythm against his skin. He was silent, his gaze fixed on their joined hands.
“Because,” he said finally, his voice softer than Tai had ever heard it, “it’s no fun beating you when you’re at less than a hundred percent. It throws off the whole… balance.” He chanced a quick glance up, his green eyes serious. “I play dirty sometimes, you know I do. But with you? It just feels wrong…”
“And maybe because I just wanna see how things would continue to unfold between us,” Rejoice added after a pause.
That honesty, raw and genuine confession, left Tai speechless. It was a confession that had nothing to do with games and everything to do with respect. Hopefully. “Right,” he managed, his voice thick. “Whatever you say, dude.”
“Exactly. So you’re on mandatory supervision. My house, my rules.” Rejoice gave his hands one final, comforting squeeze before releasing them and standing up, clapping as if to dispel the weight of the moment. “Rule one: you’re stuck with my company.” Tai’s eyes were already fluttering shut, exhaustion pulling over him like a tide. “Rule two: you have to listen to everything I say. Rule three…”
Tai let the words wash over him, Rejoice’s voice blending with the crackle of the fire, a soothing melody that guided him toward sleep. The warmth of the potion, the lingering sensation of Rejoice’s hands on his, the unbelievable tenderness of it all… His consciousness slipped away on a wave of quiet wonder.
The last thing he saw before sleep claimed him was Rejoice looking at him with a foreign expression that was almost close to fondness. A soft, unguarded expression that Tai had never seen before, and he kinda wished it would follow him into his dreams.
***
Tai woke to the smell of something savory and the sound of someone humming badly off-key.
He was still on the sofa, but someone helped him into a comfortable lying position and had placed a pillow under his head. A very soft and fragrant blanket was tucked securely around him.
He felt… better. Not well. The illness was still a weight in his lungs and a fuzziness behind his eyes, but the sharp, debilitating edges were gone. He sat up slowly, the blanket pooling in his lap.
The humming was coming from the kitchen area, a section of the great hall dominated by a large, brick-fired furnace and several smokers. Rejoice was there, his back turned, stirring something in a pot.
“You’re alive,” Rejoice announced without turning around. “I was starting to think the ‘gentle pat’ of that potion was more of a ‘knockout punch.’”
“What time is it?” Tai’s voice was still rough from sleep, but clearer.
“Late afternoon. You slept through lunch. Not a single time were you quiet,” Rejoice finally turned, holding a wooden bowl. He brought it over and handed it to Tai. “Rabbit stew. My own recipe.”
Tai took his time to settle himself into a sitting position before he took the bowl. The stew was thick, filled with carrots, potatoes, and tender chunks of rabbit. It smelled incredible. “You can cook?” The question sounded way more indignant than he intended.
“I have many hidden talents. Most of them are illegal in several server districts.” Rejoice nodded to himself and looked down on him expectantly. “Eat. I didn’t spend an hour not burning this just for you to admire it.”
Tai took a spoonful. It was perfect, hearty, flavorful, exactly what his depleted body needed. He couldn’t stop a small, appreciative noise from escaping.
Rejoice’s smile was smug and unbearably pleased. “See? Genius extends beyond combat and witty repartee.” He dragged the same chair he’d used last time and sat in front of Tai.
Tai didn’t say anything and just focused on his food, which Rejoice took advantage of and began talking. “Y'know, that fever must’ve really taken a huge toll on you. You kept on mumbling incoherent shits— you didn’t even let go of my hand until I had to comfort you.”
Tai almost choked on his food, their comfortable atmosphere broken. “The fuck?”
Well, broken at least to Tai. Rejoice... he kinda enjoys it.
The smugness on Rejoice’s face deepened into pure, unadulterated delight. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Oh, it was tragic,” he sighed dramatically, the picture of perfect, obvious fake sympathy. “All that big, tough 'I don’t need anyone in my life’ energy just… melted away. You were clinging like a baby sloth separated from its tree. ‘Don’t go, please, Rejoice’ you whispered. Very dramatic. My heart, it ached.”
The absurdity of it all left Tai dumbfounded. He stared at Rejoice as if everything was part of a dumb twisted joke, his spoon frozen halfway to his mouth, a potato chunk threatening to tumble off. “You’re lying.”
“Would I lie about your moment of profound vulnerability? Your secret, fever-induced neediness?” Rejoice’s grin was a slash of white. “You said our Thursday duels were the only thing keeping you alive, that I was the only good consistent thing in your life. It was almost sweet, if not for the pathetic sniffles that followed.”
A hot flush crawled up Tai’s neck, competing with the remnants of his fever. The horrible thing was, he had hazy, dream-like fragments—a sense of crushing chill, and a solid, anchoring warmth he’d desperately tried to hold onto. The idea that it was Rejoice’s hand, and that he’d actually said those things… It was untenable. And utterly terrifying.
“I was delirious,” he forced his voice not to crack out of embarrassment, putting the bowl down with a definitive clack on the nearby low table. “Fever dreams. They don’t count.”
Rejoice barked out a laugh. “Oh, they absolutely count. Those are the most honest ones.”
Tai doubled down on his glare. “You are enjoying this way too much.”
“Am I?” Rejoice leaned back in his chair, arms folding behind his head, posture infuriatingly relaxed. “Because from where I’m sitting, I just learned that my terrifying, prideful rival secretly thinks I’m special.” He wiggled his brows. “Life-changing information, by the way.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Tai snapped, though the heat in his face refused to go away. “I was sick. People say weird things when they’re sick, dumbass.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.” Rejoice reached out, playfully poked Tai’s cheeks.
Tai scowled and finally finished his food, ignoring the way his heart was literally about to combust just with that single touch. The room felt different now, smaller somehow, maybe a bit hotter. That, or maybe because his face was already red all over. Rejoice’s attention stayed locked on him in a way that made him acutely aware of every swallow, of every breath, of his own every movement.
After a moment, Rejoice spoke again, quieter. “You scared me, you know.”
Tai blinked, expression incredulous. “What? That you’ll lose me to a fucking fever?”
Rejoice’s smile thinned, just a little. “Unlike other servers, a fever is detrimental here, and apparently, instead of being grateful for my fucking attentiveness, you’re judging.” He tapped his fingers against the chair’s armrest. “When you went down back there… I thought you were just being sloppy. Then I noticed you lagging.” He exhaled. “I didn’t like that.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Rejoice was looking directly at him, the weight of his gaze boring a deep hole into Tai’s mind. It wasn't just about the duel being unfair. It was about Tai falling. It was about him being vulnerable.
It was embarrassing. Too embarrassing that he just wanted to disappear right then and there. Seriously, where are those fuckass lunatic assassins when you need them?
He set the empty bowl aside, the clack against the wood too loud in the hushed room. "Well," Tai began, his voice still hoarse. "I don’t really plan to subject myself to the torture of dying.”
It was a weak attempt at their old banter, an offering to return to safer ground. But the ground had already moved. Rejoice looked at him, and the playful glint was slow to return. There was a seriousness in his eyes that made Tai's pulse stutter.
"Your non-existent plan should really include basic self-preservation," Rejoice said, but there was no bite behind it. He leaned forward again, elbows on his knees. "You could have just said you were sick. Sent a message. I would've... rescheduled."
The word hung in the air. Tai looked away. Rescheduled. Not forfeited. Not an easy win. A rearrangement of their sacred, immovable Thursday. The implication was staggering. And somewhat comforting. It was scary. A Rejoice trying to hunt him down for his loot was already scary, but a Rejoice showing genuine care and saying those painstakingly sincere words was scarier. Terrifying, and maybe almost horrid to Tai’s ears.
Like a threat or something.
"I didn't want to," Tai admitted, the truth wrenched from him. He looked down at his own hands, still faintly remembering the press of Rejoice's thumbs. "I didn't want to give you the satisfaction of thinking I was backing down. Or... that I was weak."
Rejoice let out a short, incredulous breath. "You idiot. Showing up like that, all sloppy and pathetic? That's not strength. That's just stupidness." He paused, and his voice dropped again, softer. "Like I said, beating you when you're like that doesn't feel like winning. It feels... wrong. Like I'm breaking something. Some sort of a contract or whatever."
Their eyes met, and this time, Tai looked at Rejoice. Like, really looked at him. The crackle of the fire filled the space where their usual barbed words would be. Tai saw it then, clearly, in the furrow of Rejoice's brow and the uncharacteristic lack of a smirk: a genuine, frustrated care. It wasn't a pity. It was the fierce protectiveness of a rival who claimed the right to challenge him, and by that same right, couldn't stand to see him diminished by anything other than himself.
Every instinct told Tai to close the distance, to see if Rejoice’s lips would be as warm as his hands, as rough as his actions when in battle.
But he didn’t.
"Next time," Tai said, the words feeling like a huge wave had hit him, "I'll send a message."
A slow, genuine, real smile touched Rejoice’s expression. It was a smile that didn’t demand the room’s attention; it was just for Tai, a quiet acknowledgement of whatever truce or something they’ve managed to reach. “See? Was that so hard? Tai, I’m telling you, your pettiness will be the death of you. I’m not even kidding.”
He said it lightly, but the underlying order was firm. As Rejoice walked back to the kitchen, humming that same off-key tune, Tai sank back into the cushions. The warmth of the stew, the soft blanket, the safety of this chaotic, sunlit base, it all settled around him, not as a prison, but as a comfort.
He watched Rejoice's back, the easy set of his shoulders, and for the first time, the relentless competition between them felt less like a war and more like a dance. A dangerous, complicated dance, but one with unspoken rules and a partner who, against all odds, had just proven he gave a damn about keeping Tai on his feet. He closed his eyes again and fell into a comfortable slumber.