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"Again."
Tubbo groans loudly, his shoulders slumping. He readjusts the grip he has on his sword, palms covered in sweat. Ash quirks an eyebrow at him in a way that most would probably assume to be condescending, but Tubbo knows him better than that—it's just how he looks when he questions something. Or, in Tubbo's case, someone.
"Giving up already, Tobias?" Ash asks, voice twinged with something edging on disappointment. He's leaning against his obnoxiously large axe as he stares at Tubbo, waiting for an answer. The fucker doesn't even look tired.
"Noooo, noooo," Tubbo says, waving his hand with playful dismissiveness. "I would never give up. My arms on the other hand? I think they might be quitters, Supreme Leader."
The corners of Ash's mouth twitch up in amusement before he smiles. "So your… arms are giving up?"
Tubbo hums, rocking on his heels as he tries to summon the most innocent look he possibly can. He has big, pretty eyes that he knows most people can't resist—his Supreme Leader included.
"Maybe," he says, bottom lip jutting out slightly, "I think they just need some rest, y'know? Like, maybe… stopping until tomorrow… or even the day after that…"
Ash laughs incredulously. Tubbo doesn't miss the way that his face nearly phases out of existence for a moment, a distinct purple-ish fog dancing around him much more noticeably than before. He clears his throat and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"A quick rest and then one more round of fighting, and then you— your arms can rest," Ash says after a moment. Tubbo grins, not waiting a second before dropping the sword to the grass and bee-lining to the nearest spot of shade. He sits down with a loud, relieved sigh, resting against the trunk of a tree.
From here, he has a great view of the Regime. They're on a hill just behind the wall that gives them enough room for the combat practice that Ash had insisted on. Tubbo isn't entirely sure what triggered this insistence in the leader to make him so concerned with Tubbo's ability to defend himself. He has a suspicion that the war with the North isn't all of it, even if it is certainly a reason.
Tubbo stares past Ash's Pantheon at the rotating "R" on top of Fit's tower. He closes his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of the spring air brushing against his skin. When he opens them, Ash is holding a golden apple out to him.
"Eat." It's not a request, and Tubbo is not in the mood to argue with the man. He takes the golden apple and takes a large bite out of it. Its effects are almost immediate and the many aches in his body either disappear or become dull enough to be easily ignorable. Tubbo sighs with relief. He figured that he'd have a relatively painless time trying to train with Ash—he spends most of his time working in the factory, after all. After about the first ten minutes, though, the realization that the stamina needed for combat is very different from what he's used to began to sink in.
He sighs quietly to himself as he swallows the last bite of golden apple. He feels infinitely better than before, though he's quite tired.
Tubbo notices then that Ash is still standing, hands clasped behind his back while he gazes at the Regime. There's something close to pride in his eyes as he stares, analyzing every single brick under his scrutiny.
"Ash," Tubbo calls. His eyes snap to Tubbo's instantly. The engineer pats the ground next to him. "Sit down, man. You don't get any awards for spending the whole day on your feet."
Ash shakes his head in a way that almost seems fond and sits down next to him silently, leaning on one of his hands as he lays his axe down next to him. They stay there in a comfortable quiet for so long that the sun has moved noticeably lower, hiding behind the silhouette of the factory.
It's nice—calm. Tubbo almost forgets why they're up there in the first place. Ash, on the other hand, definitely does not.
The Supreme Leader stands, picking it up with a flourished twirl of his fingers that is equal parts obnoxious and attractive.
"One more round, Tobias?" he asks. He holds his hand out for Tubbo to take. Tubbo is pulled onto his feet and he grabs his sword off of the ground, stretching his shoulders out in a way that makes his back pop. He can focus one more time—he already knows that Ash is almost certainly going to drag him back out here tomorrow.
Tubbo readjusts his grip on his sword, preparing himself for when Ash makes the first move. Ash's tendency to strike first has not passed him by unnoticed—when he initially noted it, he wondered how he hadn't previously clocked that Ash is quite the impulsive fighter. A few more attempts at trying to best his leader later and it clicked.
Is Ash an impulsive man? Undoubtedly. But it's the cockiness of someone that knows they can—will—win any fight, whether they start it or not. He's proven it, too—not just to himself, but to the entire island.
Tubbo wonders if, perhaps, he can use the things he knows about Ash against him. It may not be the most useful thing for the future (he can't exactly spend hours learning how his potential enemies move by dueling with them) but at least he can prove to Ash that he's not completely useless at defending himself the way the man seems to thing he is.
Ash, as Tubbo assumed he would, moves first, swinging his heavy axe towards him. Tubbo sidesteps it easily—when it hits it can do a lot of damage, but its size makes it move rather slow.
Tubbo takes the opening that he's given to try to get Ash to drop his weapon, striking at his arms as he lifts his axe back out of the soft earth. Ash dodges the attack, pulling his axe in front of him almost as a makeshift shield. Tubbo wants to groan and throw his hands up—Ash is fast as hell and it's annoying. But he is determined to beat him at his own game.
He maneuvers out of the way of another one of Ash's strikes and manages to parry the next. An idea hits him, like a light bulb going off over his head.
Tubbo leaps at him, hoping to catch Ash off guard with an attack much more reckless than he's gone for previously. He slashes at Ash's side and is unsurprised to be met with the clang of his blade meeting the head of the other man's axe. Tubbo inhales deeply, trying to keep his arms steady as he presses his sword down with more force, putting Ash in a position of defense rather than offense. He watches the focus in Ash's eyes intensify, his brows furrowed while he tries to figure out what exactly Tubbo is planning. Here goes nothing, I guess, he thinks.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look hot as fuck when you get all combat brained?" Tubbo says, quiet enough that it feels overly intimate. It's certainly not a thought that comes from nowhere, he just never expected to verbalize it—especially not to get the upper hand in a fight.
Just as he thought, Ash's eyes widen and his glitch gives away how flustered it makes him. His grip on his axe falters for just long enough that Tubbo is able to knock him back, sending the man stumbling. He regains his footing impressively quick, but the glitching spots of air around his head make it clear that the embarrassment has far from faded.
Tubbo attempts to strike the man's hands using the butt of his sword in hopes of disarming him. Ash narrowly avoids his hit and jumps back to get a more secure grip on the hilt of his axe. Tubbo, feeling the exhaustion of the day seeping into his bones, decides he's completely fine with playing it risky.
He throws himself at Ash, nearly cutting himself on the man's axe in the process, sending them both flying to the ground. Ash makes a noise—was that a yelp?—as his axe is flung out of his hand several feet away. The sword almost slips out of Tubbo's hand, but he manages to steel his grip just in time.
Tubbo grins, pointedly ignoring the fact that he's straddling Ash's torso while he brings his sword down against his leader's neck.
"I think I win."
Ash scoffs, but the growing smile on his face gives him away. "I think you cheated and your win should be considered null and void."
Tubbo giggles quietly, his grip on his sword going slightly lax. "I don't think we ever established any rules, Supreme Leader. Can't cheat if there's no rules to break."
"You don't consider trying to flirt with your enemy to disarm them breaking the rules?" Ash says with a laugh.
"Nope! All's fair when you're flirting during war, or whatever that saying is," Tubbo replies with a shrug.
And then—
In Tubbo's defense, he assumed they were done. Though he supposes that he does—or did—have a sword pressed against Ash's neck.
Tubbo's flipped down onto the ground before he can even process the fact that Ash moved. He makes an embarrassing noise when his own sword is twisted out of his hand and rests under his jaw. Ash, the smug motherfucker, smirks at him.
"Gotta keep your guard up around the enemy, Tobias," he teases.
"Man, fuck off, I thought we were done," Tubbo whines. He pouts up at the man hovering over him and tries (and fails miserably) to not think about the fact that Ash is hovering over him.
"All's fair," Ash parrots, seemingly just to rub it in. Tubbo shoves at his shoulders and rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. You're big and strong and you kicked my ass. Now get off of me before I complain to HR," he says, trying to complain even if he can't stop smiling.
Ash laughs, but the sword stays firmly against the engineer's neck. Tubbo's breath hitches when the sword—his own fucking sword—is dragged down from below his neck to the hollow of his throat, so soft it's almost a caress.
"Ash?" he whispers, trying to ignore how the blade presses harder against his skin when he speaks. Ash just hums in response. His eyes slowly trail up from where they've been glued on Tubbo's neck up to his eyes. Tubbo wishes that he missed the way that Ash's tongue flicks out to wet his lips.
Tubbo isn't sure which one of them leans in first.
He reaches up to thread his fingers through Ash's long, thick hair, his tail curling around one of the man's legs, and pull him towards him just as Ash tilts his head down to kiss him.
His mind is overwhelmed—there's metal against his neck and there's a mouth on his and his body feels so warm and he thinks that he wouldn't mind being trapped right here forever as long as he's with his Supreme Leader.
When Ash pulls back the first thing he does is throw the sword somewhere off to the side to be forgotten in the grass. He drags a finger over the shimmering scales next to Tubbo's ear, a look akin to awe on his face.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're really fucking pretty?" he mumbles, brushing his thumb over Tubbo's bottom lip. Tubbo lets out a surprised laugh.
"God, I hope no one finds out how lame the Supreme Leader of the Regime is," Tubbo says, grinning, before pressing a quick, greedy kiss against his lips.
"Now shut the hell up and kiss me again."