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It had been only a few months since Kouga's life was turned upside down.
All at once, he'd moved out of his apartment and begun living alone in a mansion with someone he hadn't known very long, quit his part time job, joined the dance club, and become a magical warrior. He still struggled to process most of it.
And then there was the one thing that tied it all together. Tsukimiya Sasana.
He was always there, now. They weren't in the same class, but as soon as school ended they met back up at dance club. Then they fought together as Precure and returned to the same house at night. To Kouga, who had been largely friendless for the past few years and lived alone since he'd split from his family, it was completely foreign.
The annoying part was that Sasana was beginning to invade his thoughts even in the little time they spent apart.
For one thing, Sasana was very touchy. His casual sensuality during his dance lessons was making him very popular among their peers, and he'd accumulated a bit of a fanclub as a result. Kouga knew this was normal for him, but still couldn't get used to the way Sasana would casually drape an arm around him or take his hand without warning. Every lingering touch stuck in his mind like a burr. Was it too much, or did he want more? Once, Sasana- or rather, Cure Soul- had absently begun playing with the long ponytail Kouga gained in his Cure Kagura form as they were on the lookout for Desparade. The slight ticklish tug on his scalp and the satisfying lifting of the hair’s weight had felt so nice that despite his embarrassment, Kouga hadn't stopped him. Now every time they were idle in their cure forms, he found himself secretly hoping he'd do it again.
Somehow, he trusted Sasana more than he’d ever trusted anyone. When they were together, it felt right, he felt safe. Sasana had kept reaching out when Kouga pushed him away, seen through his hard front and bared his heart to him in return, and now they routinely put their lives in each others’ hands.
“I like you, Kouga-kun.”
More and more, the memory of those words resurfaced unbidden. Kouga had lashed out at him in response, and Sasana had insisted he didn't mean anything by it - that he struggled to read his own feelings, and didn't know how much of what he felt was real anymore. But that fight they'd had the day they became Precure wasn't what was haunting Kouga now.
Kouga knew what he was feeling. It just scared him.
---
They’d just gotten through a particularly rough bout, both beaten and exhausted. Sasana staggered over to Kouga’s side, gripping onto his arm for mutual support.
“Kagura, are you alright?”
Kouga wiped away the blood that was trickling down from a scrape on his cheek. “I’ll be fine. What about you? I saw you take a hit to the head.”
Sasana gave him a weak smile. “I’m okay. A little dizzy is all.”
With a frown of concern, Kouga grabbed onto Sasana’s shoulders and guided him to sit down, resting his back against the cooling unit of the rooftop they had ended up on. “You’d better rest for a minute before we try to get down from here, then.”
Sasana gave a reluctant hum of assent, scooting back. “Was it just me, or were there more of them than usual?”
Kouga sat next to him with a grunt of effort. “They do seem to be getting bolder lately. Didn’t Pado say something about the dark rhythm getting stronger after every fight?” He glared at the ground, frustration bubbling up inside of him. “If they’re already this strong… I don’t know how much longer we can hold out like this.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Sasana placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll just need to get stronger too, somehow.” Kouga looked up at Sasana’s face. Even bruised and battered, he wore a genuine smile that shone like the moonlight above them. “The Stella Bracelets chose us. Don’t you think that must mean we have what it takes to keep up with the darkness?”
Kouga looked down at the brace on his own wrist, shining with a soft green glow. “I still don’t know how much of what that guy says I believe, really.”
“Well,” Sasana said, taking Kouga’s hand with both of his. Kouga looked back up at him, startled. “Even if we don’t know everything, I believe in you. You already saved me once, after all.” Kouga’s face flooded with heat as Sasana met his eyes, his expression unflinchingly genuine. How could he say things like that so easily? The eye contact lingered a second too long before Sasana dropped his gaze to Kouga’s hand again, interweaving their fingers. In a quieter voice, he continued. “If you’re by my side, I think I could get through anything.”
Kouga’s heart was pounding out of his chest. The warmth of Sasana’s hand in his seemed to spread through his whole body in gentle waves. His breath caught in his throat as he searched for a response, and all he could manage was- “Sasana…”
Sasana’s gaze flicked away, and he let out an awkward laugh. “Sorry, that was too much, huh? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable again.” He began to pull his hand away, but Kouga tightened his grip, suddenly desperate.
“No, I…” Kouga swallowed. His throat felt dry. He clambered to his knees to face Sasana, gripping onto his hand like a lifeline. “Sasana, I- you-” He floundered, trapped by his own awkwardness and Sasana’s wide, questioning eyes. His heartbeat filled his ears, shoving aside his swirling thoughts, carrying every ounce of the pure want that had been building up inside of him. “Damn it!” Abandoning his hesitation, Kouga grabbed Sasana’s shirt in his fists and kissed him hard.
Sasana let out a noise of surprise against his mouth, briefly stiffening before melting into the kiss with a soft moan, his hands quickly wrapping around to pull Kouga closer. Kouga’s doubts and fears vanished, every thought in his head replaced with Sasana, the scent of him, the taste of his lips, the feeling of his touch. He let his hands unclench and slide up to weave into Sasana's feathery hair, pressing against the back of his head to deepen the kiss yet further. He was half sitting on Sasana’s lap now, Sasana’s arm around his back pressing their bodies flush against each other as their lips clashed hungrily. It was everything Kouga hadn't been letting himself entertain these past weeks, every desire that had been dancing on the edge of his subconscious whenever he looked at Sasana. He never wanted it to end. When he was finally forced to break away for air, panting and feral, he felt lightheaded for more than one reason.
Sasana's eyes were sparkling as he gasped for breath. “Kouga…” He whispered the name like a prayer, gripping onto Kouga's waist as if he would vanish if he let go.
Kouga let his forehead fall against Sasana's, still breathing hard. “I'm sorry. I don't know how to… How to deal with this. I just… I want to be with you, too.”
“Don't apologize.” Sasana said softly, raising a hand to caress Kouga's cheek. He let his lips brush against Kouga's again, then against the mole just below his mouth, then lower, trailing feather-light kisses along his jaw and neck. The tickling of Sasana's lips against the sensitive skin sent a shiver through Kouga's whole body. He felt Sasana smile against his neck before pulling back. “Let's go home.”
Kouga felt like he was home already.