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Ten has a good body.
That is an objective fact. A stone cold truth in this world. And it’s not just his body–he has a good face to boot. A lovely face, even. Proof of this is the numerous ex-girlfriends Renga has come to know of over the course of his friendship with Ten. He has an awfully high number of fans that come to R1ze’s lives just to see his face, as well. Renga can’t say he blames them. He, too, has been captivated by Ten’s charm on more than one occasion, finding himself distracted staring at his face or his bare skin in the baths.
Renga has gotten used to seeing Ten naked in the past year. Well, somewhat used to it. He still gets embarrassed if their knees accidentally brush in the water. Ten doesn’t really seem to care much, though. He’s made a few comments about Renga having a body worthy of a model, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. Sometimes Ten bathes with everyone, and sometimes he’ll avoid using the public baths for a week or so. Renga has never asked why, but tonight, he may have gotten his answer.
R1ze had been given the opportunity to stay at a brand-new onsen for free, with the promise of promoting the accommodation after their stay. Kafka, ever the opportunist, accepted, so the six of them plus Kaede made their way down to Hakone. Renga ended up sharing a room with Ten; thinking back on it, he isn’t sure they’ve ever shared a room before during their training trips, since they’ve yet to be paired up and Liguang point-blank refuses to share a room with Yachiyo.
As the others informed them that they would be checking out the amenities inside the onsen, Ten had tugged on Renga’s sleeve and asked if he’d like to check out the private hot spring that their room boasted. Ten had seemed somewhat reluctant to come on this trip, but now that he’s here, he seems to have regained his spark. Of course, Renga said yes, so now the two of them are sat in their cosy little hot spring. The water is perfect; just the right amount of warmth after their journey here.
Opposite him, Ten has his arms stretched out along the outside of the water. He looks stupidly handsome, with his damp hair pushed back and water droplets clinging to his skin. But what catches Renga’s eye the most is the purple bruise painted across his ribcage, paired with a deep cut on his chest that looks to be in the process of healing. He isn’t sure if Ten’s been taking on dangerous part-time jobs again or what, but he can’t help but worry.
“It’s rude to stare, Renga-san.” Ten’s voice interrupts his thoughts.
“Huh? S-Sorry!” Renga immediately averts his eyes, instead gazing down at the water below him. “I was just wondering… Are you okay? How did you get that bruise?”
“Oh, this? It’s nothing to worry about. I tripped and fell at uni, that’s all. Don’t tell anyone else, though. It’s kinda embarrassing,” Ten says, scratching the back of his neck with a laugh.
“And the cut?”
“Ah…” It takes Ten a moment to answer. “I saw a girl getting mugged, so I stepped in. Turns out the guy had a knife and he lunged at me. It wasn’t that bad, though.”
Renga’s heart sinks to his stomach. “What?! When was this? Did you report the guy?”
“Yes, yes. And this was the other day, when you had that late-night photoshoot. I was already asleep by the time you got home, so I didn’t see a point in telling you,” Ten explains. Renga is a little hurt that he would neglect to tell him something so important until he continues, “Sorry. I just didn’t want to worry you, Renga-san. You already have enough on your plate.”
“N-No, it’s okay… Just tell me if anything like this happens again, okay? If you need someone to come with you to the station, I can always make time for you…” Renga mumbles.
“Thank you, Renga-san. You’re so kind,” Ten says, flashing him a smile that goes straight to Renga’s heart.
A gentle silence falls over the two of them. Renga sloshes the water about with his hands, trying to think of a way to pick the conversation back up. “Does this happen often?”
“I wouldn’t say so,” Ten replies, flicking a strand of hair out of his face. “Why do you ask?”
Renga worries his bottom lip between his teeth. “It’s just that sometimes you avoid bathing with everyone else, so…”
“…Aw, man, you got me,” Ten says with a short laugh. “I can be pretty clumsy sometimes. I don’t use the baths because I don’t want everyone to find out. Can this be our little secret, Renga-san?”
“Of course!” Renga exclaims. Maybe he does need to start accompanying Ten around if he gets injured this often. He knows what it’s like to have a battered body, and, well, as one would expect, it isn’t very nice. “U-Um… do they hurt?”
“Not really~?” Ten tilts his head. “...Wanna feel?”
“W-What?!”
“You can give my bruise a poke, if you want. That way I can prove that it doesn’t hurt.” If it was anyone else, Renga would think this is a rather strange invitation. But it isn’t anyone else. It’s Ten.
“I-I mean, if you’re okay with it…” Renga awkwardly shuffles over to Ten on his knees, mindful not to scrape them. He stops when they’re close enough to touch, sitting with his legs folded beneath the water in front of Ten. The heat in the air almost makes him feel as though he’s doing something he shouldn’t. “U-Um…”
“Here.” Ten grabs Renga’s wrist, guiding his hand towards his bruise. Gently, Renga places his index finger onto it and applies a little bit of pressure. “C’mon, you can use more strength than that. I barely felt a thing.”
Renga obliges, pressing down harder and watching for any kind of reaction from Ten. But there is none, save for a smile dripping with an emotion that Renga can’t quite dismantle. “That really doesn’t hurt?”
“Nope. I’m pretty resilient.”
“I see…” Renga trails off. Instead of just one finger, he splays his entire hand out on Ten’s chest and slides it upwards, soaking in his body heat. He can feel his steady heartbeat beneath his skin. It’s comforting. Whilst tracing his thumb beneath the jagged edge of Ten’s wound, an idea hits him.
“Renga-san?” Ten questions. “Are you okay?”
“Can I try something?”
Ten shrugs, unperturbed. “Sure.”
Renga takes a deep breath, then leans his head down and softly presses his lips to the cut across Ten’s upper chest.
When he pulls away, Ten’s eyes have widened ever so slightly. “...Huh?”
“U-Um! I heard that a kiss can help soothe pain,” Renga stammers, removing his hand from Ten’s chest. “Even if you say it doesn’t hurt, I’m sure it does. So I, uh… I hope it heals soon!”
Ten is quiet for a minute, watching Renga with an expression that reminds Renga of how he’s younger than him. It’s surprisingly cute.
“...Honestly,” Ten murmurs. For a moment, Renga worries that he may be called ‘heavy’ again—he didn’t really think the consequences through, after all—but instead, Ten smiles. “I really appreciate it, Renga-san. Where did you hear that?”
“Uh, I…” Once, back when he lived on the streets, he tripped and scraped his forearm whilst running to greet Kiba. Not put off by his flood of tears, Kiba held him tight and pressed a gentle kiss to the wound with the promise that it would heal quickly. It’s a story that reminds him of Kiba’s benevolence, but for some reason, he finds the words get stuck in his throat.
“No, nevermind,” Ten says, his smile fading. “...Don’t do that with anyone else, okay?”
“I won’t,” Renga promises, and despite the harrowing voice in the back of his mind, he thinks he means it.