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Afternoon light bathes the field in a golden wash, the gentle colour soothing to tired eyes. The wide expanse is edged with trees, stretching to the horizon. Long, uncut grass lies still, the air comfortably warm, neither hot nor clammy, a warmth like being wrapped in a cosy blanket. It's late, they should get back, but the grass is surprisingly soft and the day has been tiring. Laying on the sun-baked grass with the sun setting in yellowed tones like the pages of an old book seems like the perfect way to end off a day of long, hard training. It also eases young, blistered feet.
Near the edge of the ridge is an area flattened by two bodies. They lie cushioned on nature's pillow, idly chatting in low, relaxed tones. Peach hair catches the golden tint of the sunset, what should be a repulsive scar glowing, illuminating the young boy’s face. Next to him, another child lies, wide eyes, innocent with youth, watching the sky change from cerulean to dandelion, with mauve creeping at the corners.
Their clothing is stained with mud and grime, their hair mussed from exertion, and their bodies are aching and stinging from cuts and bruises obtained from sharp bushes and the firm, packed earth of the ground. Even with the aches, though, they are comfortable in the softened field, watching the way nature paints with gentle clouds and sunflower tints with warm oranges lacing thick, vibrant fingers to cup the glowing star as it disappears from their hemisphere's view.
Sabito pulls Giyuu closer, stretching an arm around his back and placing battered fingers on his shoulder. Giyuu nestles closer to Sabito, snuggling closer until their sides slip together like puzzle pieces. He lays his head on Sabito’s shoulder and sighs contentedly.
“Hey Sabito?”
“Mm?”
“When do you think the world will belong to us?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Are you sure?”
“I dunno, maybe.”
“Mmm, okay.” The dark haired boy pushes his head closer to the curve of Sabito’s neck. It's a comfortable silence that falls then. They lean their heads against each other and stare at the sky, now turning a navy blue with lilac and indigo layers. The first star gleams in the sky, even though the glorious moon hasn't made her appearance. A time passes, the sky darkens and colours blend together to sew the beautiful fabric of the night sky.
Sabito moves his arm to squeeze Giyuu’s shoulder, speaking gently.
“Hey there. I think we should head back, as nice as this is, Urokodaki-sensei will kill us if we're not back for supper. And I'm not saying this isn't nice, it is, it's more than nice, it's fun, uh, great, no, awesome! It's awesome and… cosy,” Sabito softly smiles at how stupid that last adjective was before continuing, “ I'm cosy as heck, but I'm also hungry.”
Giyuu grins before poking Sabito with his shoulder gently.
“You sound like an idiot.”
He giggles, the sound light and airy, before shifting slightly.
“Ouch, this grass is itchy now. Yeah, let's go.”
They separate and Giyuu stretches his stiff body, groaning happily when his spine clicks, while Sabito stands slowly, turning to give Giyuu a hand up afterwards. They turn and make their way through the grass back in the direction of home, walking into the forest, down the rest of the side of the ridge, then down the small part of the mountain to the bottom.
40 minutes later, they arrive at the hut they've lived, slept and ate in for the past 8 months. Upon stepping inside, they get an earful from their teacher on how late they are and how they keep forgetting curfew, filling both with shame and embarrassment mingled with slight irritation. That usual teenage irritation at a parent who, yes, cares about and loves you, but also can irritate you with how much they nag and bother.
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Later that night, after supper and a bath, when the ivory moon has finally made her shining appearance and the stars are winking at the cooled earth below, the two lie sleepily on their respective beds. Giyuu rolls over to the boy next to him, throwing his arms around him and pushing his face into Sabito's chest. The taller boy chuckles and strangles the dark haired boy in a tight hug. They remain like that for a short while, Sabito patting Giyuu's back gently in a made-up rhythm, drumming his fingers on Giyuu's shoulder blades and tracing a finger over the bumps of the smaller boy's spine.
Giyuu raises his tired head and gazes at Sabito dreamily, simply craving a look at the handsome boy's face. His eyes rove over Sabito's rounded nose, his thin lips, the jagged scar slicing his right cheek in half, and his lavender eyes, twinkling with laughter. He puts his chin on the boy's chest and stares at one point of Sabito's face, selecting the bridge of his nose. Giyuu's eyes twitch occasionally, eyes flicking to look at other parts of Sabito's face, hoping to record everything to memory. The peach haired boy closes his eyes and lets Giyuu observe him as much as he wants, blushing slightly from the fierce eye contact.
Satisfied with his observations, Giyuu lies his head back down and sighs dreamily. He plants a soft kiss on the solid, warm chest beneath him, letting his lips remain there to feel Sabito's steady heartbeat. He lifts his hands to place them in the smooth hair above him, simply laying them there to secure himself. Sabito responds by pulling the hair tie off and looping his fingers into Giyuu's soft, silky, long hair. He runs his fingers though the strands, fiddling with knots and toying with longer pieces. He bends his neck to whisper gently to Giyuu's hair, “You should get some rest, you're tired.”
Giyuu whines petulantly at this, unwilling to move from his comfortable spot on Sabito`s bed, and buries his head further into Sabito's chest, so to soothe him, the tall boy pushes the choppy fringe away from the smaller’s forehead and presses his lips to the skin there. He firmly kisses his forehead before pulling away and lifting Giyuu closer to him to give the blue eyed boy a fat hug. Burying his face into Giyuu's neck, he squeezes Giyuu's torso before releasing and gently pushing him away.
“Good night, Giyuu.” He smiles and puts his tired head on the pillow. Giyuu, though, has other plans. He cups Sabito's face and dives in for a quick kiss, then rolls away into his bed and pulls the covers over him. The demanding child he is, Giyuu grabs Sabito's hand in his, and closes his eyes.
Sabito, now cherry red, grips Giyuu's hand tightly before speaking again.
“Good night, Giyuu, I love you.” He says bashfully, the usual confident swagger gone, instead a stupid grin stretches from ear to ear.
“Love you too, gorgeous.”
Giyuu immediately closes his eyes, tightens his lips, and tries not to laugh. Ohhhh, he's cringy all right. Sabito turns his head, grinning devilishly and responds, “Why thank you, thank you. But I prefer handsome.”
“Oh I'm so sorry, I mean, good night, handsome. I deeply apologise!” Giyuu looks at Sabito, giggling, then continues, “Aren't you going to compliment me?” he bats his eyelashes and pouts, titling his head downwards.
Sabito barely suppresses his laughter, “Of course I will, you're the most beautiful boy I've ever met and I'm so lucky that you love me!”
Giyuu smiles wide, throws off his covers and jumps onto the handsome boy next to him, planting a kiss on his lips, saying “That's for the compliment.”
After a continual back and forth, they calm down and Giyuu gets into his own warm bed. Again. Linking hands, they shift around to get comfortable, whisper a final ‘goodnight’ and close sleepy eyes. They drift away, each slipping into his own peaceful dream.
Outside, trees rustle gently in the nighttime breeze. Nature has completed her tapestry of blue, so dark it appears black, with star-beads woven into the fabric and a large ivory button sewn in the center. Animals crawl through the undergrowth, birds swoop and foxes prowl. Inside though, 3 people are warm and snug, safe from the creatures worse than bears or snakes, safe from the monsters they hunt. Inside, neither of the two boys worry about anything, sleeping deeply and soundly.