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Despite the pink brat's insistence, Kojiro's aware that he's not an idiot.
While he's passionate and carefree, he likes to think that he makes mature rational decisions when it matters. He has fun, likes to actually live and take care of the ones he love. Maybe he cares too much, but he would never put himself or anything or anyone that he cares about at risk. He's not as delusional or naive as others might picture him as. He has a successful renowned business that he's proud of, stable caring relationships and a well loved home. He may not be able to do all the nerdy shit four-eyes does, but he's no moron.
Although, every time that Kaoru's involved, he wonders if he's actually that sound of mind.
On a first instance, his main hobby could land him on the hospital any day. When their parents sent the two overly energetic raucous six years old to self defense classes for children, they had no idea that at 26 they'd be part of the stars at "S", the underground fighting ring that had no rules. Kojiro would've been happy if all they did was focus on a non-life threatening activity like skating, but the wild teenage Kaoru had other ideas, and where one was, the other was always close to follow.
Kaoru didn't actually need him as a fighting partner. The guy's a beast. A beautiful, elegant, proper, breath-taking beast. His moves were precise, powerful and bewitching. It was like watching a gorgeous angel of death, hungry for violence. All the other guys from rivaling gangs didn't take him seriously, they just saw a pretty scrawny boy and thought he'd be weak, and Kaoru proved them wrong all the time.
If anything, Kojiro was there to stop the pink creature from doing too much damage. And to revel in the magnificent picture of Kaoru, disheveled, breathless, with their school's uniform clinging to his skin, the last one standing among fighters twice his size passed out or wheezing from pain, bruised and still carrying that smug glorious smile.
Kojiro couldn't and wouldn't look away, would never leave his side.
So even when the rational part of his brain told him that it was a terrible idea, a manic dream, to follow the mysterious blue-haired kid, who said was setting up an underground fighting ring, Kojiro took one look at the way Kaoru's eyes shone, and he knew he had to follow them.
Years later, they were still addicted to that thrill.
Years later, Kojiro still hadn't left him. They never even dated. Sometimes, he's not even sure they're friends. The crowd loves to see them fight, and when it's just the two of them, their favorite sport is to drive each other mad. They've never rejected a fight, no matter how insane their opponent was, and still they're both terrified of the idea of opening up to each other. Years of their push and pull, of seeing him choose others but never him, and Kojiro still aches for him.
Yeah, maybe he's an idiot.
That night, he became an even bigger idiot.
He thought that he was the last one out. The lockers were already empty when he came out of the shower, aching after his bout that night, and ready to collapse on his bed. Alone. He was too tired to pretend to care to take someone home, someone who wouldn't remember his name the next day. Before he could leave, the rapid calculated sound of hits against a bag caught his attention.
Out on the gym, the AI Fighter, as the fans called him, was still practicing on a speed bag. He was in his working out clothes, ¾ black tight joggers with pink lines on the sides, black crop top hoodie with pink cuffs and a white elastic band on the bottom with a pink "C" in the center, and his black and purple open-fingered grappling gloves with the Carla sensors.
Kojiro still got mesmerized by the beauty in his technique. Others might call it boring, predictable, Joe himself had teased him about the stick up hiss ass due to his rigid ways, still he was amazed by it. It was perfect, just like everything that Kaoru was. His movements were swift, deliberated, centered and deadly. Glorious.
"Gym's gonna close, princess"
If he heard him, which Kojiro knows he did, he made no move to show it.
"Oi, earth to robot boy"
Still no answer. Meanwhile, the pinkette delivered a pristine flying kick to the speed bag.
He should've left. It was late, nearing 3 A.M. They would both regret it in the morning. Instead, he got dangerously closer. Another flying kick almost collided with his face, but hey, Joe's got quick reflexes and neat blocking skills too. He grabbed Kaoru's right wrist before he got a black eye.
"Hi there"
"You're too close, imbecile"
Or not close enough.
Kojiro barely reacted when he got a left hook to his stomach when he didn't let go.
"Get your paws off me." Kaoru's cheeks were dusted with pink. Either from the exhaustion or the close proximity. Cute.
"Spar with me" He offered instead.
"What? No groupies to leave with?"
"Something like that"
You're the only one I ever want to leave with.
"Come on, Kaoru, for the old times" He threw in a lazy grin that he's been told could disarm anyone. Kaoru just scoffed and turned away.
He elbowed him hard, making Kojiro let go of his wrist, but he still agreed. "Just don't come crying when I beat you."
"Give it to me, cinnamon stick-boy"
They sneaked in to the octagon for the main bouts. The black canvas had the white, red and black S with the heart arrow across it, inside a yellow diamond. The ring's perimeter was delimited with plastic-coated fence with black mesh and red covers on top. Around it, the stands that usually were filled by ardent fans, were empty.
"Try to keep up, simpleton"
Despite his annoyed tone, Kojiro could tell that Kaoru was fighting a smile. It had been a long time since they trained together. They used to spar all the time, since they were two tiny terrors that fought over everything and terrorized their kindergarten teachers, to their elementary and middle school years where they trained in class together and wrestled all the time until their mother's chastised them, through all their rebellious punk teenage years.
They could never keep their hands off each other. Something kept pulling them in. An electric desire to never be apart.
Now, more often than not, they watched each other's bouts with someone else. After all of his fights, Kaoru would come in to berate him about how his angles were wrong, how he was too explosive at the start and didn't save enough energy for the rest of the match, a show off for his fans (he was passionate, damn it), how he needed to work on his flexibility and speed. It was cute how much he cared about him, even if he masked it as critique.
"Don't worry, princess, I'll go easy on- ow" Kojiro's lazy bouncing got cut off short when he got a fist to the face. The brat didn't fight the grin this time. The chef's so annoyed by how cute it was. "Hey, not the face, that's the rule" With it being a secret place, they mostly hit where bruises could be hidden, as to not raise any questions.
"There are no rules at "S" " Kaoru replied innocently while he bounced in place, stand ready for action.
"It's common courtesy" Kojiro tried to punch back but the rat dodged it and gave him a kick for his efforts. Not fair, he didn't fight that night!
"Gorilla's don't deserve common courtesy"
"Oh you're on, four-eyes" After a few missed hits, he finally landed one right on the "C" of Kaoru's hoodie. "Ha! Take that, wimpy megane, I'm - ow!"
While he was busy gloating, Kaoru had hooked his foot around Kojiro's left leg and applied enough pressure to send him tumbling down. He fell to the canvas with a loud thud.
"Cheating tanuki" He grumbled. Before he could stand up, Kaoru was already on top of him to keep him down.
"Are you sure that your pea-sized brain can keep up?" Kojiro tried to break free, but the pink-haired fighter was an expert in holds.
Fuck, he could feel Kaoru's warm agitated puffs of breaths. His whole body was on top of him, caging him in. His warmth was intoxicating.
He remembered then why they stopped sparring together. Too close.
"Got enough, little dimwit?"
"Never" Kojiro said almost breathless, but he still summoned all the energy that he could muster and got a grip on Kaoru, enough to stop him and push him back, switching their positions. "Need to tap out, scrawny?"
"Why? Are you tired old man?" He tried to push Kojiro away with a double kick, but the chef didn't falter, keeping him in place by his wrists on top of his head. They were both breathing fast. Close, too close. If Kojiro could just lean in and finally close that pain staking distance.
"Just looking out for you, Ru" For an instance, something warm crossed Kaoru's gaze at the mention of his childhood nickname, but just as it came, it was gone and replaced by a wicked grin.
They were too close, close enough that Kaoru pushed himself forward, smashing their heads together, a move he used to love as a kid. It took Kojiro by surprise, making him let go and rub his forehead. When Kaoru turned to leave, Kojiro made a terrible mistake.
He grabbed him by that stupidly foxy high ponytail. Kaoru made a sound that gave Kojiro an electric shock that ran through all his body. Time stopped and everything went still. The empty gym was filled with deafening silence.
Both fighters went completely rigid as they processed what just happened: Kaoru had just moaned.
"Kaoru, I…" What's he even supposed to say? Sorry? Are you okay? Please don't kill me.
The other fighter turns around deathly slowly, like that black haired chick from that well, looking mortified. Saying that Kaoru was blushing would be an understatement. The cherry tomato coloring ran from the top of his ears, covered all his face, and even part of his chest. Ethereal.
There was an uncontrolled fire burning inside those golden orbs. He could see how the tiny gears ran at max speed inside of Kaoru's mind, considering all of his options. Kojiro wasn't surprised when he decided to go with aggressively launching himself at Kojiro. He deserved it.
What Kojiro wasn't expecting was that instead of getting chocked, headbutted or getting his head smashed on the canvas, instead soft plum cherry flavoured lips smacked against his. Harshly. Desperately. Hungrily.
Kojiro didn't hesitate. He swiftly wrapped his arms around his alluring confusing man and kissed him just as fervently.
"Come back to mine" Kojiro asked when they came up for air. Begged. Prayed.
Kojiro was on cloud 9.
The 20 something years of embarrassing pining, carrying a torch for a boy that had never looked his way, had finally paid off.
He couldn't believe he had freaking Lord Cherry Blossom on his bed, crying out his name in bliss. He was so scared to even take a break when Kaoru had fallen asleep on his chest, scared that he'd wake up and leave. That the dream would shatter. Kojiro was frightened. He was ecstatic. Enchanted. Fully fallen for Kaoru's spell.
The next morning, he caught the sneaky bastard trying to flee. But when Kojiro had offered breakfast, he relented, and the green-haired man was able to breathe again.
When Kojiro managed to steal kisses on Kaoru's neck while he cooked, uncovered because all he had on was Kojiro's sleep shirt that was falling off him, the chef knew he was done. He couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else, not when he could have this glorious man by his side.
Way before he would've wanted, they were on Kojiro's door step, with Kaoru ready to leave, insisting he had commissions to work on.
Kojiro was about to lean in and kiss him goodbye, ready to add a joke about how the other fighter was still shaking from last night, or mention that he could come over to the restaurant later in the day, anything to stop himself from saying something stupid like "I've loved you since you kicked the bullies from the sandbox". But before he could do anything, Kaoru stepped back.
All through breakfast, it looked like he wanted to ask something, but stopped himself at the last moment and instead added an "Idiot" and looked away. Kojiro tried to push with no avail. He wanted to ease all of Kaoru's worries, but the man was still weary of everyone.
Kojiro was about to reassure him, when the bane of his existence blurted "We're still sleeping with other people, right?"
It was like an arrow shattered his heart. How was he not lying on the floor dying on a pool of blood? He felt like it. He was free falling from the clouds that he'd foolishly climbed. The crash was harder than he anticipated.
"What?" He asked carefully, a small but hasty fire already burning in his belly, while everything crumbled.
"I asked if we're still-"
"Yeah yeah I heard" He snapped, heat quickly rising, the only fuel keeping him from falling down. "What I meant was, are you an idiot?"
"I'm just making sure you won't throw a gorilla tantrum" Kaoru replied, just as annoyed.
"Are you for real? Is this how much of a jackass you are?"
"Hey! I'm just making sure! Forgive me for being clear"
"Clear? You think you're clear?" Kojiro tugged at his hair exasperated and laughed with venom. "What part of kissing me then asking if we're seeing other people is clear?"
"Isn't that what you do?" Kaoru asked in a clipped tone, his arms crossed, with no right to look that pissed off when he was the one crushing Kojiro's soul.
"You know what? Do whatever you want. Go get fucked by whoever is stupid enough to fall for you. I don't fucking care."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
Kojiro slammed the door as quickly as Kaoru turned around and left.
The fighter sent a jab to the nearest wall with an angry hurt cry. He then crumbled down, sliding down the door and sat, hugging his knees. He tried to calm down his racing heart and jagged breaths. The bitter salty taste soon flooded his senses.
Fuck, Kojiro was an idiot.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Another jab right after the other on the punching bag that was holding on for dear life.
Was that brat for real?
Kojiro knew that Kaoru's words could be hurtful, more often than not unintentionally, but was he really that heartless? Did he really just see Kojiro as some hopeless gigolo? Sure, he liked to sleep around, every party was consensual and well-informed, but he wasn't careless, specially not with Kaoru. How could he not see that?
Thump. A destructive kick then.
Was being with Kojiro that awful? He knew that they'd never actually talked about it, but he had to know right? Know that Kojiro only had eyes for Kaoru. That ever since they were little, he knew he was the one. No one else had matter. They were all distractions, desperate attempts to fill the void. But they could never be him. No one could compare to the striking mind-blowing addictive Sakurayashiki Kaoru.
Thump. Thump. Thump. A fiery flashing blast of punches that took the bag off one of the chains were it hung from the ceiling.
"Cazzo" Kojiro rested his forehead against the warm leather, willing his heartbeat to slow down while he heard the sand slowly leave the bag. Adam would make him pay for a new bag.
It was too early for him to be at "S". He wasn't even supposed to come at all today. But after his staff had told him, repeatedly, to take it easy and his sous-chef had pretty much dragged him outside after he caused too many accidents in the kitchen, he found himself with nowhere to go and still too damn pissed off.
The work out had helped him cool off. Barely.
"Hey, Joe! Are you getting ready for your next match with Cherry Blossom?" A jet black haired teen in a green and purple cat hoodie shoved a microphone to his face, and an eager red-head was recording him with his phone.
Damn, that match.
They had scheduled it a few weeks ago due to Adam's insistence. The crowd loved their cat and dog dynamic, and so he knew that a match with them would make for a "fun" event. Kojiro had a very different idea on what fun was, but details.
A match between them was rare these days. They could spar from time to time, they had fought against each other when they were just kids, but not a real one, specially not in a place like "S" where everything went.
When it got proposed to them, they both had teased and taunted one another, saying the other couldn't keep up, that they would go easy so their pride wouldn't get hurt, what they were saying between the lines was that they wouldn't hurt each other, never for real. So much for that.
"Back off, Miya" Kojiro tried to flee but the kids didn't budge. "I don't want to play games today." He already had enough.
The kid wasn't allowed to fight yet. He was the only minor in the ring, and while nobody doubted his skills, no one was willing to fight him and face the consequences when he got hurt. So for the time being, they could spar, train him, let him watch the matches and he was in charge of their social media.
"Did you see what Cherry's saying about you?"
They did these little interviews from time to time, to hype up the matches, or just revive the known rivalries. Kojiro's usually cheeky, flirty and charming in a way that he knows pisses off his opponents, specially Kaoru. While the pink fighter constantly denies any relationship with Joe other than rivalry, Kojiro always told them that they were best friends, and even held his hand once they were filmed together. The kick on his shin was worth the sight of that adorable angry pout.
"I don't care what that brat's saying" He replied curtly, still trying to escape to the showers. Not really in the mood for charming that day.
"He says you're scared of your next match"
"Scared?" He scoffed. "Sure, I'm scared of sending him to the hospital with how weak that bean sprout is."
"Says you're just a worthless show off clown"
"Bold words from someone that depends on his AI nanny"
"That he'll carry the fight on his own"
"When has that spoiled sheltered princess ever worked a day on his life?"
"He's gonna knock you out and he doesn't care if he blasts the last brain cell you have left" He doesn't care about you. Yeah, he knew.
"Oh please, I'm gonna break that twig." Kojiro blinked and stopped for a second, not sure he heard himself right. He would never hurt Kaoru, not for real, he would never want to break him. He shook himself out of it, they were still filming.
"See this?" He pointed his thumb at the broken leather bag. "That's just a mere fragment of my powerhouse. That fragile unskilled brat better prepare himself for his humiliating defeat. You know I'm aggressive in fighting and in love." He winked at the camera for his fans.
"Damn" Reki whispered once they stopped filming. "Are you guys okay?"
"Peachy" Another jab to the half empty bag.
Friday night came way too early for what he wanted to. Although to be fair, never was a little unrealistic.
He hadn't talked to Kaoru all week. The calligrapher didn't show up during business hours with his pompous clients, or after closing time demanding food and wine, and definitely didn't sent him any texts. Not their usual banter, memes exchange, updates on Carla, pictures of his black cat Panther, or random messages at 3 A.M. when he couldn't sleep.
It wasn't even a full week and Kojiro still found it hard to breathe. He was excruciatingly lonely, even if he met with his staff, apologized for his sour mood and hung with the kids, and took some girls home. None of it mattered. None of them were his dreadful pink Greek deity.
All he saw of Kaoru was those stupid posts. They indirectly replied to each other two more times, still as petty as the first one. He called him a skilless baboon, made a list of all his flaws with precise calculations on a presentation while he was dressed in his Sakurayashiki-sama clothes,and made fun of his style, Kojiro pretended not to care , said Kaoru was all bark and no show, and made sure to be surrounded by his adoring fans whenever they filmed him.
The crowd went wild. Every post was flooded with comments and even made edits, taking sides, making bets, arguing over who would win, hundreds insulted them while hiding behind an alias, and a few worriedly asked why they were being so harsh this time, with a lot more answering that it was just the way Joe and Cherry were. Maybe they were right, maybe this was all they were and Kojiro had been the delusional one that thought they could be more.
Others said it was originally a friendly match, before their pride got hurt with their trash talk. Kojiro down voted and reported every comment that he saw where they were calling Kaoru prissy, and he couldn't care less about the ones mocking Joe, although he did notice they were fewer on the last posts he stumbled into.
If it weren't for Reki's bout, Kojiro wouldn't even had made an appearance until a few minutes before their match.
He must admit he was genuinely smiling with pride when Reki was declared the winner. The red-haired teen was sweaty, out of breath and still seating on the floor, yet his shy unbelievable smile lit up the whole room. Soon enough, the light blue haired Canadian judo professional and current "S" champion got into the cage and sweetly embraced him. "I knew you could do it, Reki!"
It had been a close match. It could've been either Reki or Shadow, who was still lying on the canvas knocked out, but the teenagers relentless training had finally paid off. He got thrown on the floor a couple times, even lost the first round, and he came back again every time. He may not have the same muscle mass as Shadow, but he was quick, witty, and resourceful.
It reminded him of Kaoru. Don't get him wrong, Kaoru's strong. He may be lean, but he's well built and toned. Still, he's often fought opponents that are bigger and with more muscles than him. That's never deterred him. What he doesn't have in brute strength, he makes up for it in intelligence and technique. He's an unstoppable force.
"Langa!" Reki complained and looked away, a clear blush on the boy's cheeks. The blue-haired boy didn't listen and instead kissed him right then and there. The red-haired fighter had a dopey grin when the referee announced him as the winner.
Kojiro was so glad they got over their fight and finally got together. If only it could be that easy for him and Kaoru, maybe if they were younger again.
"Well done, kid!" Kojiro bear hugged him when they joined them at the stands, and playfully rubbed his knuckles on the red head. The kid shrieked and Langa came to his rescue, prying him off the older fighter.
"Not bad for a slime" Miya not so lightly punched him in the arm.
"Whatever" Shadow, still groggy, grumbled.
"Oh come on, Shads, it was a fair fight, be nice to the kid" His boyfriend, Oka, who was side hugging him, teased him.
"Fine, you've gotten better kid" He admitted and got a kiss on the cheek for his efforts. Kojiro thought he could see smoke coming out of the ginger's ears.
"Oh that? It was nothing" Reki shyly replied, not used to all the attention and praise.
"You were perfect, mon amour" Langa held him tight.
"Your hard work's paying off, kid" Kojiro ruffled his hair.
"Are you ready for your fight, Joe?" Reki swiftly changed the subject.
"Pf ft, of course, Kaoru's got nothing on me. Is he even here? Or did he got spooked?"
Liard. He has him wrapped around his finger and everyone knows it.
"I ran into him on the gym" Shadow, more aware of his surroundings, told them and stuck out his tongue teasingly. "Might as well have been punching a picture of you."
"Mama's going to destroy you" Miya told him carelessly, already playing with his hand held device.
"Cherry looked really pissed" Langa added "Not his regular annoyed face, but like when we broke his million yen brush pissed"
"Did something happen between the two of you?" Oka asked concerned.
Nothing. Everything. How could he even answered that.
"Everything's fine" Kojiro reassured them with a light chuckle "Way to have faith on me guys."
No one believed him. He didn't believe himself either.
At least Joe had this, the roar of the crowd chanting his name, along some old rock song that announced his entrance.
"There's Joe!" They all shouted when he made his big entrance. He was wearing his black jacket with his signature white spiked sun on the back, light blue sleeves, and orange on the inside. Shirtless. With his white tight shorts with the same sun on the right upper side of his right leg. He had already on his black and green open-fingered grappling gloves.
He had his arms around two of his most loyal fans: Himari, a tall brunette in her mid twenties, and Hana, a blond short woman in her mid twenties. They'd always been by his side, enthralled by his fighting style and his persona in general. Just from afar, Kojiro's almost sure they're not interested in him and are actually dating each other.
"Joe! Over here!" His fans on the stands called for him, while Cherry's fans booed him.
"Give me a kiss, six pack fighter!"
"I need to climb those abs!"
"Joe! We love you, hunk!"
Kojiro couldn't fight his smug grin. He winked at them and sent them flying kisses, making them go even more crazy. He was addicted to this, feeling loved, even if only for a minute, even if it was all a lie and they'd never known the real him. Fighting was fun, he was an adrenaline junkie, they all were ,but this, this was hypnotic.
"Ladies, this is were we part" Kojiro bowed at Hana and Himari, kissed their hands and thanked them for being there. They wished him luck and left to find their seats, holding hands.
He sent one last blowing kiss to his fans and got into the octagon, before the crowd roared again, this time for "Lord Cherry Blossom!"
Kaoru was stunning. He wore his white haori with cherry blossom petals, primly closed but loose enough that he could take it off once he got in the ring. Underneath it, he had his tight black shorts with pink lines on the sides, and already prepared with his trademark black and pink grappling gloves. His silky alluring pink hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and the messy bangs were the only thing out of place. He was ravishing.
When he took off his haori, carefully folded it and handed it to Miya, his fans got even more berserk over his well-defined toned abs. The red caps had to stop some of them from getting into the cage.
"I want to climb that cherry tree!" Seriously? Even Cherry's lusty fans were nerds.
Kojiro's even more annoyed that he agreed with them. The fight hadn't even started and Kaoru was already in his head. That stupid exquisite graceful holy man was going to be the death of Kojiro.
The pink jerk paid them no mind, acted like all of this was above him, even though Kojiro knew better, he knew the brat revealed on the attention and praise too. Once Kaoru reached the octagon, his cool aloof look changed to one of rage, ready to beat him.
Kojiro tried to talk to him, but the fighter pushed him aside and got into position, guard already up.
The crowd loudly winced at the interaction. Some booed Cherry, while others mocked Joe.
It stung, but Kojiro wasn't going to let it stay that way. He got close to the gate and took off his jacket in a showy motion. He sent another kiss to his devoted fans and then threw his jackets at them. They all squealed and got ready to fight one another to get Joe's precious sun jacket.
"Take me to heaven, Joe!"
"Show me what real love can do!"
"Joe! Give us more!"
The fighter was happy to please them. He posed a couple of times, showing off his muscles, making even some of them faint.
"We love you, Joe!"
The fighter's smile was wide and smug. He revealed in their admiration, their want, their need for him. He could feel how Kaoru was glaring daggers at him and that only made him smile more.
Before he could try again, the eccentric matador of love made his entrance.
"All of you cowards who love to watch people beat the shit out of each other! And you fools who love to get in the ring!"
Adam shouted to a flashy silver vintage style microphone. He was wearing a red dressing shirt with embroidered black hearts and matching pants with a black bow tie, his blue hair was wildly set free in a way that gravity shouldn't allow, and he was wearing his usual white, red and golden mascaraed mask.
The crowd loved him. He was a legend at "S". It wasn't often that he fought, but when he did, it was insane. His matches were brutal, savage and ferocious in a way that was hard to watch, but harder to look away. There was a rumor that he learned how to fight by training with bears.
These days, he mostly acted as a referee for the fights that called his attention.
"Are you ready to watch these decade rivals bout for nothing but bragging rights?"
The crowd roared in agreement.
"All right you two" Adam told them "I don't care if it's clean, don't care if it's fair, just make it fun" He grinned wickedly. "Touch gloves"
"No harsh feelings, eh, princess?" Kojiro tried for a lazy smile and got close to fist bump him.
Kaoru's response was to punch him in the chest hard with both of his fists.
"Off to a good start!" Adam chuckled. "Begin the bout, show me love!"
They bounced in their place, both at opposite corners of the octagon, slowly getting closer to the center, throwing jabs and kicks that didn't land yet. While Kaoru's icy glare could easily take him down, Kojiro annoyed him back with his boyish grin and occasional winks to throw him off his game.
3 rounds. That's all Kojiro had to survive. 3 rounds and maybe they could talk after they got tired out. Maybe, just maybe Kaoru didn't hate him.
His psyching up process got cut short by a sudden forceful round kick to his behind. Kojiro reacted just in time to dodge a blast of punches to his abs. The game was on.
The pink fighter was a feral beast at heart, but he usually took his time to strike. When they were just a pair of free spirited little kids practicing on the tatami, Kaoru lived by the motto of "Strike first, think later", but as he got older, he learned that calculating his moves could give him the advantage. A lot of fighters were muscles for brains, but Kaoru was brilliant.
That night, the old spirit of that fiery reckless wonderful boy seemed to appear.
Too bad for Kaoru that Kojiro knew that boy all too well.
"Getting sloppy, four-eyes?" He taunted when the pink fighter failed to land a jab, due to how explosive but uncontrolled his movements were. "Where's that nerdy energy?"
"Don't be impatient, gorilla, I'm just getting started" Their usual banter, but with none of the joy. The reply was followed by another round kick that did land on Kojiro's right side and shook him off his balance.
The crowd cheered for the AI Fighter.
"So am I, rat" He blasted a round of jabs and kicks that Kaoru easily dodged, but they landed him where he wanted to, cornered against the black mesh fence. "Ready to give in?"
"In your dreams, simpleton"
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance"
Before Kaoru could double kick him to push him away, Kojiro launched himself at him. He engulfed him in a strong lock, keeping him in place against the mesh, with the pink fighter fruitlessly struggling to get out. The fighter tried to punch him in the side of his head or knee strike his chest, but Kojiro's hold didn't falter.
It was his signature move, the tiger hold. His extensive muscle mass allowed him a sturdy grip, that only a few had been able to brute force out of it.
"Get off!" Kaoru shrieked breathlessly, still trying to push him away with his jabs, the ones that were losing his power as the fighter got more exhausted.
"Oof, looks like Joe's not letting Cherry go any time soon. How romantic!" Adam called from the opposite side of the ring.
Kojiro wasn't very keen on punching Kaoru. He would give him an honest fair fight, he respected him enough to not underestimate him. A lot of fighters had made that mistake over the years, taking Kaoru for just a pretty face, didn't fight him for real and that landed them getting knocked out in the first round. Kojiro's completely aware of what an amazing fighter Kaoru is. He just doesn't want to hurt him. He figured he could stay like this, restraining the beast until the round was over.
Kaoru fought him all the way. The brat even bit him hard on his shoulder, right over his sun tattoo. The crowd winced at that. But Kojiro didn't give in. He could stand everything that the fighter threw at him.
When the bell signaled the end of the first round, Kojiro let go of him. He tried to help him regain his balance, but Kaoru pushed him away hard. Before the green fighter could make sure he was okay, a pair of red caps directed him to his corner, checking for any injuries, offering water, a washcloth and a chance to take a breath.
Another couple tried to aid Kaoru too but he refused them. Kojiro rolled his eyes at the stubborn impossible man.
"Are you all liking this divorce arc?" Adam asked the crowd and they all cheered. "Who do we all think will sleep on the couch tonight?" A loud mix of "Joe!" and "Cherry" could be heard. Kojiro couldn't tell which one was louder.
Kojiro took a deep breath, bounced on his place a couple of times and posed for his fans one last time before heading for the center of the canvas for the next round.
"Show off" Kaoru scoffed when he joined him. He seemed to have regained his composure.
"Ready? Go! Be violent! Love!" Adam pushed them closer to each other and then got out of the way to restart the bout.
Kaoru left Kojiro hanging when he offered a fist bump, setting up laughter from the crowd and some booing.
"Don't be such a sore loser, brat"
"Have you gotten so much hits on your heard that you finally lost your last brain cell, dimwit? Are you hearing things now?"
"I didn't hear, I know I'll beat you"
"You better tell the paramedics you showed symptoms of delirium"
"Oi, spoiled brat I'll-"
His taunt got cut short by a full round house kick directly to his sun kissed face. Cherry's instep had mercilessly collided against his cheek like a slap. It made him look away, and he had to pretend he didn't hear his neck snap.
Kojiro moved his jaw around to relieve the discomfort. His right cheek was burning. He could taste iron. He'll definitely have a bruise tomorrow and will have to hide on the kitchen for a week.
"Ooh I hope Joe's daylight job doesn't depend on customer service!" Adam winced. "Ts. Cher bear, not the face, love."
"Keep your guard up, buffoon, why do you always forget?" Cherry taunted with a shit-eating grin.
Kojiro nonchalantly spit blood on the canvas, and then got his guard back up, fresh and care free. "Bring it on, pinky"
An explosive blast got met with harsh kicks to his shin to keep him off balance, front kicks got dodged, another jab to the head almost sent him seeing stars but he prevailed. A jab to his shoulder answered a side kick. A series of powerful punches cornered Kaoru again on the mesh, but this time he reacted fast and pushed him away with a mule kick. Man, that guy's leg power were his secret weapon. Kojiro could stare at them all day.
"No shame on raising a white flag, Joe" It was getting harder for Kaoru to fight his smug grins. Cute.
"Aw, are you that worried about me?"
The pink fighter launched himself at him, holding him tight by the neck, and headbutted him hard. Kojiro sent one in return, that got answered by a knee strike to his stomach. If it weren't for all the bruises, blood, ragged breaths and deathly glares, they might as well have been embracing.
"Don't want to step on your corpse on my way to the podium" Kojiro could feel Kaoru's rapid beating heart.
"So you do care, Cherry!" The fighter winked at the shorter man before pushing him away.
The flustered pink fighter answered with another side kick, but this time Joe caught it in time. He rejoiced in the way Kaoru's grin got wiped clean and replaced by a frown. Kojiro smiled sweetly before sending them both tumbling down to the canvas, with him on top caging Kaoru by side laying on him.
"We keep meeting this way, I might get the wrong idea, princess"
His hold was off and before he could adjust it, Kaoru reminded them of his wonders.
The insanely flexible man managed to thread his legs upward with practiced precision, scissoring them around Kojiro's neck in a fluid motion, caging him in. Kojiro tried to break free but Kaoru's hold was strong.
"Damn, look how flexible he is. If this doesn't work for you, I have another job you could be good at, Blossom" Adam and the crowd were in awe. Kojiro would've been too if he weren't busy trying to keep breathing.
Kaoru pulled his legs down, sending Kojiro away, just in time for the bell to ring, signaling the end of the second round.
"This is the last one, kids, make it count. Make it dirty" Adam danced in his place in joy before leaving.
"Ready for defeat?" Kojiro tried the fist pump one last time, but got equally ignored.
"That'll happen when you grow a brain"
"You wound me, scrawny" Kojiro touched his heart, foolishly allowing Cherry to send a kick to his knee, making his step falter. "Damn, there's no honor code anymore"
"Gorillas aren't included in honor codes"
"I've got enough of your weak spaghetti legs"
A fainted jab, an almost kick, a blast that landed just right, another jab to his face that will cost him later, they went on it again and again.
When Kaoru dodged Kojiro's attempted jab blast, he lost his balance, stepped too far away and sent him falling on his butt, as if he'd gotten spooked. The crowd cheered for Kojiro.
The taller fighter got caught up in it, turned when nearby fans called for him, and sent them kisses.
"We'll never stop cheering for you, Joe!"
"Aw, let me thank you for your loyalty after the fight, okay?" His fans squealed and nodded effusively. "I'll take you- Ahh!"
With a raging cry, Kaoru had crashed into him. Taking advantage of Joe's distraction, he managed to send him to the floor and cage him in. He wrapped his legs tightly around Kojiro's middle and kept him locked in.
Kaoru punched him repeatedly on the chest and face, drawing blood. If Kojiro had any energy to talk, he'd make a taunt about how he was acting like a jealous girlfriend.
"This is a reminder to never piss Cherry off! He's going all in."
Kojiro tried to push him away, but he didn't relent. He was possessed.
"Aw, now Cherry's not letting go. They truly are made for each other."
Kojiro barely heard when his fans cried for him.
He used the last of his strength to hit the canvas three times. "Cazzo, I yield!"
"So did you cheat on him? Is that why he's so pissed off?"
Kojiro tried to look down to glare at the redhead who was sitting spread leg on the chair across from them, happily sipping her energy drink, way too happy after she won her bout, but Nanako stopped him so she could finish his stitches.
"You know we're not together actually together, Kiriko -Ah!" Kojiro winced at Nanako's slip off.
"Sorry, Joe!" She carefully repaired her mistake. He tried hard not to wince when she applied the alcohol. "But you're not? I just thought, I mean Langa told me, and when I saw you together I-"
Her girlfriend's blabbering sent the redhead on a fit of laughter. "See? Even Nana thinks you're married and she barely comes down here"
"Well we're not!" Kojiro grumbled. "Besides I would never cheat on Kaoru." He added, deeply offended.
"Then what did you do?"
"Why does it have to be me that screwed up?" Nanako chastised him and kept him in place when he kept moving around.
"Oh no, don't get me wrong" Kiriko reassured him "I'm sure that you both screwed up"
With friends like them, why did Kojiro need enemies?
"Same old shit" Kojiro replied, beyond caring and just needing to get back home.
"Right, same old you're both in love with each other but to stupid to say it or see it"
"That's not! We're not-!"
"Maybe" Nanako interjected, cleaning his face one last time for any remnant blood and sweat "You should take a step forward then" She smiled sincerely at him.
Kojiro took a deep sigh and nodded, truly grateful.
"Oh babe, we should leave these two idiots alone" Kojiro and Nanako turned to where Kiriko was looking, at the pink stunning fighter standing by the door, already back in his navy blue Yukata.
"Hi boo, we'll dish later" Kiriko greeted Kaoru with a peck on his cheek, while she dragged her girlfriend out by the hand.
"I truly recommend checking for a concussion, Joe!"
"Concussion?" If Kojiro didn't know any better, he'd think that behind Kaoru's annoyance, there was concern and even guilt.
Kojiro waved him off. "Nanako worries too much, she's a nurse, she has to. I'll be fine." When Kaoru didn't get any closer or offer a retort, he added "Came here to gloat?"
"It's hardly a prideful win when your opponent yields when the round just started" Kaoru scoffed.
"I had to, my opponent went on a jealous trip" He shrugged.
"Jealous!?" Kaoru finally came close, falling for the bait. "I have nothing to be jealous about" The tips of his ears had reddened. Adorable.
"Then what was that right after my fans called?"
"A calculated move. I told you, keep your guard up."
"Sly fox"
"Skilless buffoon"
"Brat"
"Muscles for brains" Kojiro missed this, their silly childish banter. At least the wacky fight got the anger out of them. If only they could talk instead of bruise each other.
"That you got right, my muscles will defeat you" Kojiro kissed his mauled bicep "Once they heal"
"What did Nanako say?" Kaoru asked carefully, in a steady, cold tone that did nothing to hide his worry.
"That I have one month to live" Kojiro said simply.
"Oi! Soulless pig!" Kaoru pushed him lightly. "See if I ever care about you again!"
"So you do care?" Kojiro smiled warmly.
"Hardly." But instead of walking away, he started fussing over Kojiro's wounds, assessing them.
"Kaoru!" Kojiro called, flustered by the close proximity. "Stop, I'm fine"
"You're too stupid to determine that"
"Hey no! Drop that!" Kojiro shrieked when he saw Kaoru reach for the alcohol. He didn't need more of the sting.
"Will you stop, goddamn gorilla?"
They started lazily wrestling. Of course it wasn't a fair fight. Kaoru was standing, and Kojiro had no strength left to stand up from the chair. Everything hurt when he moved. But he wasn't going to let Kaoru win.
"You're going to poke my eye out, pinky!"
"I wouldn't if you stayed still, broccoli brain" He started getting annoyed by all the brawling. "I'm just trying to take care of…when you care, when you lo-"
Kaoru froze before he could finish his sentence, suddenly understanding what he was about to say. Kojiro could fill in the lines anyway.
"Love? You love me, four-eyes?" It hurt to smile and he couldn't care less.
"I told you, you're hearing things!" Kaoru looked away, but Kojiro could see that blush miles away.
Kojiro started laughing like crazy. "You're an idiot and I'm a bigger idiot for not remembering that you're emotionally constipated and afraid of vulnerability"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. You're delusional. I'm leaving. " Kojiro grabbed his wrist and turned him around, right into his space, before he could flee.
"No, princess" Kojiro took another chance at answering that fateful question. He softly caressed Kaoru's lips with his thumb. He smirked when he watched the fighter get even more flustered. "we're not sleeping with other people, is that okay with you?"
"I…that's…fine" Kojiro smiled before leaning in to kiss him. Slowly. With so much love and adoration.
This adorable, mind blowing, gorgeous man was going to be the death of Kojiro. He was an idiot to fall for it. But he was a happy idiot.