Learning to breathe again

Yori’s breath caught in his throat. He froze for a moment, blinking. A shiver swept through him as Rune touched his hand.

“Breathe,” Rune whispered.

I would not touch a thing he touched.

“He’s absolutely infuriating!”

Rune looked up when the door slammed closed. He smiled at Yori and opened his arms as Yori hugged him. “Rough day?” he asked.

“Johannesen,” Yori said, not lifting his head. “Why? Why, of all the people he could have chosen, did the commander decide to let Captain Johannesen be the one to train me?”

“He’s trying to show Johannesen what we see in you,” Rune said.

Yori laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think it’s working,” he said. He pulled away then and flopped into a chair. “He’s a twit and he’ll always be a twit. He’s determined to be a twit and that’s all there is to it.”

“Maybe you have to walk a mile in his shoes,” Rune said, shrugging. “He might have a reason for the way he views the world.”

“I’d sooner go bare-footed than wear any shoes he’s ever touched,” Yori grumbled. He knew Rune only meant the words figuratively, but he didn’t care. He flushed faintly when Rune chuckled. “You know what I mean!”

“I do,” Rune agreed, holding up a hand to forestall Yori’s temper being directed his way. “I apologize, Bellissima. You just… have a way with words.”

No Such Thing

Yori frowned slightly at the commander. Then, he looked at Rune. Leaning close, he whispered into the other’s ear. “Why does everyone here act like there’s only one correct way to do things?” he asked.

Rune blinked and then leaned closer to him. “If you’ve got a suggestion for a better way to do it…” he said, trailing off. He nodded towards the commander and shrugged.

For a moment, Yori hesitated. Then, he said, “I realize I’m new here, but… I had a suggestion that might make this process more expeditious.” The looks the others gave him said, clearer than words could have, that they’d never thought of another way to do this. “There’s always alternatives, you know?”

“No,” Leif said, his tone only partially-teasing. “There’s only one way to do anything!”

The commander rolled his eyes and said, “Let’s hear your idea Captain Hummel.”

A faithful whore

Johannesen frowned as he watched them together. He couldn’t understand why the commander tolerated their nonsense. He had to hand it to Hummel, though. He didn’t have a wandering eye. He was constant and consistent in his affection for Rune.

He frowned slightly and looked at Nora. “Well, I suppose that he’s going to have one, its best that she be faithful to him.” She gave him a strange look and he smiled.

Nails for breakfast, tacks for snacks

Rune wasn’t sure what he had expected from Yori the first time they went out in the field together. However, it wasn’t what he got. He might have expected for Yori to panic when he was faced with a mair. He might have expected that he’d have to swoop in and save Yori from an unexpectedly tough foe.

He never imagined that Yori would be the one to save him. It happened naturally enough. Three mairs descended on Rune. He was forced to the ground. Two of them grabbed his legs and the third sat on his chest. He growled, trying to force them off.

“Rune,” Yori rasped, as he swooped in on white feathery wings. Swirling wind followed him, scattering the mairs that were attacking Rune. He folded his wings as he lighted beside Rune’s prone form, panting. “All right, there?” he asked, glancing back at Rune.

Rune nodded and got to his feet. Standing back to back with his mate, he said, “What do you eat that makes you so tough, Bellissima?”

Yori just flashed him a sunny smile. “Let’s take care of these,” he said, “then, we can talk about food.”

Lies

Yori leaned back against the tree, struggling to catch his breath. Johannesen’s words rang in his ears. He was nothing – no one – there was only one thing he was good for. He shook the thoughts away.

“No,” he said, his hands clenching into fists. Those were lies, coming from someone who wanted to keep him down. He would prove Johannesen wrong! He drew in a deep breath and raised his staff. As he did, the bodies of the fallen mairs rose as well. With a swift gesture, they turned on their comrades.

Rune was at his side in a heartbeat. “Yori,” he said, his voice soft. He set his hands on Yori’s shoulders, holding him as darkness closed in around the edges of his vision. “You’re holding your breath, Yori. You’ll pass out if you don’t let up soon.”

Yori gave him a terse nod. As soon the rest of their team had reached the far said of the river, Yori released the breath. He coughed, tasting blood at the back of his throat. Then, he gave Rune a tired smile. “That was…” he trailed off and then coughed again.

“Not something you should do very often,” Rune said, giving him a weak smile. Yori nodded, but they both knew what it truly was. Only spirits of the highest level could unlock such powers. That Yori could was significant. Whatever happened, no one who had seen him wield such power – even once – would ever believe Johannesen’s lies.

A Rather Precise Art

“That’s not how you do it,” Rune said, chuckling softly.

Yori frowned at him and shook his head. “I thought you said there wasn’t a wrong way to do this,” he said. “You said that’s why they call them martial arts.”

“But – but,” Rune said, blinking. “That wasn’t what I meant.” Although, at the moment, he was so distracted by what Yori had done he couldn’t remember exactly why he’d said such a thing in the first place. “Just don’t do that again.”

Smirking, Yori repeated the maneuver, with the same results. “It works quite well.”

Suiting Actions to Desires

Prompt: considered then straight on delivered

Yori ground his teeth as Johannesen kept up his mindless patter. He knew the man was just saying these things to get under his skin. The problem was that it worked – only too well. Finally, Yori looked over at him. “Stop,” he said, his voice soft.

Johannesen arched an eyebrow. “Are you going to make me?” he asked, taking a step forward. He laughed and shook his head. “You wouldn’t have it in you. You’re just a…”

He never finished the thought. Yori’s fist stopped his words. Yori looked down at him and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m just the captain of the Lily Division. Isn’t that what you were going to say, Captain Johannesen?”

Johannesen growled, but didn’t say anything more. He simply stood and stalked away. Yori sighed softly and looked at Rune. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

“Probably not,” Rune said. “Though, if it were me, I would have done it sooner.”

With a Focused Gaze

Prompt: shoot with my mind

Sindri twirled the ball in circles so quickly that it hummed through the air. Then, with sudden ferocity, he lashed out. The ball sailed through the air at his target. He focused partially on the target and partially on the ball itself. He guided the ball towards the target.

It struck, leaving a small singed mark where the ball had kissed the target. A smirk touched his lips and he looked over at his trainer. “Someone said something about a useless toy?” he said.

The trainer chuckled. “In anyone’s hands, save yours, it might be,” she said, her voice soft and musical.

Alone Together

Prompt: we shall always be alone

Rune glanced up when the door opened behind him. “Done being angry?” he asked.

Yori sighed and nodded. “Figure out what you said that set me off, yet?” he asked, his voice returning to its normal, soft tones.

“You want to make this official,” Rune said, his voice quiet. “It’s not easy, Bellissima. In this line of work, we’ll always have to face our problems head on. We can’t depend on anyone to make the hard choices for us. We have to go it alone.”

“Can’t we be alone… together?” Yori said. When Rune hesitated, he smiled faintly. “It’s not really so much to ask, is it? I mean, we’re stronger as a force. Isn’t that what you were trying to teach me?”

“I suppose,” Rune said. He blinked in surprise when Yori sat down beside him. “So… We’ll go it alone… together?”

“Yes,” Yori said. He leaned in and kissed Rune on the cheek. “Not so much of a quandary after all. Was it?”

“No,” Rune said, chuckling. “I suppose not.”