Well done. [ Nishikiyama says while he looks at him.
He's run out of his cigarette. With Mine there across from him, droplets of cool water rolling over skin that's blooming mauve in spots from bruises. His eyes go to the tattooed streaks of gold and red on his shoulders when Mine bends, catching only a glimpse of the colors before Mine is upright once more. His lashes cast a little lower with his focus. ]
You won. [ And the reward for doing so is implied.
The expression on the young patriarch's face is unlike what he often shows on it and only Mine is here to witness. Satisfied is a word that matches. More than that though, he wants something from Mineβ something, he thinks, in one glance that Mine will understand without him needing to speak aloud. ]
Are you okay?
[ Before hurrying out with him, he refers to the injuries. Manners. Where he is now, Nishikiyama can see places where Mine's skin had split, washed a light red now by the shower. They'll probably dry and start to scab over by the time he dresses himself. ]
[ Praise. That's why he did it. There's no more noble reasonβhow, when the terms of the fight itself are explicit. Mine notes the remnant smell of blood and sweat on him, not having taken the time to scrub, mixing with that of still just-warm tobacco. The invisible cloak of Nishikiyama's close presence. Now he revels in the moment, pause he couldn't take in the ring even in view of his triumph, heard over speakers.
All because privacy between them had been hidden away behind demands made of tonight. There is something that will have made worth Nishikiyama's absence, Mine's deprivation. The patriarch's gaze promises. Mine meets it, matches it. He wants to give more than his victory in the Coliseum. ]
I'm fine. [ The next day or two'll see scrapes and bruises darken, but for now. Hair gets pushed back out of his face again. He'll get dressed. Hope is that Nishikiyama can skip watching the other two fightsβ he's here right now. Isn't Arase's already happening? ]
Yeah. Kanda will let me know how the rest of them go.
[ Shindo and Arase are queued to follow. Though Nishikiyama doesn't say anything about his plans, he figures that Mine has caught on. He watches the hanging shorter pieces of Mine's hair get combed back and flat against his head. They stay matted down for a while, but their weight makes them fall the same way Nishikiyama's do without hair product. Nishikiyama hasn't seen him so unstyled before. ]
The other families needed to see that from you. It was good.
[ It's small talk. Nishikiyama drifts closer to the doorway and leans his back against one of the walls. His readiness to leave is apparent while Mine dresses himself. ]
[ Mine doesn't offer the indulgence of asking how Kanda'd taken it; he doesn't think Nishikiyama even wants it. He'd heard the man cheer and howl, something that quietly amazes him.
Compulsively, while getting dressed, Mine keeps pushing his hair back, until the remaining product that didn't get washed out lets it sit in some way like his normal style. Still, unusually lose. He's aware of Nishikiyama's eyes on him, they barely wander. ]
I did it for you. [ Mine's pretend to be nowhere in particular, honest but reserving something, knowing that Nishikiyama's comment hadn't been meant for much. ]
[ Nishikiyama's heart flutters in his chest at the statement, but his face only sort of winces in turn, like he doesn't know how to respond. Not out of pain, but out of unfamiliarity. He hasn't had someone say something like that to him in a long, long time. Eventually, his eyes soften beneath his brows. The look in his eyes that had been so fixed is now fleeting like he's careful to have it noticed. He finds somewhere else with his gaze. ]
Thought so. [ His throat tightens. ] βThat's fine, though. I like it better that way.
[ Then, embarrassment. Should he have even said so? Mine's face is still handsome when he looks up to see it again, and Nishikiyama's mouth pulls with some uncertainty. He tries running the moment over, deliberately leaving no room or pause for Mine to linger too long on the sentiment. ]
[ Mine'd asked already, if he's wrong to think and do so. Nishikiyama's delay and changed expression almost make him want to repeat it, not because he really believes the patriarch has made up his mind differently, but to be candid in the way Nishikiyama'd commended. He'd liked praise for that, too.
Mine doesn't go searching for the look that avoids him, though. Same tightness, presumably, that squeezes Nishikiyama's throat settles beneath his breastbone. He couldn't say anything in between if the other man let him, frankly, finding himself wound around the sensation. Having another reason isn't unwelcome; he feels strange and flighty.
Nishikiyama's impatience helpsβ ] Yes, [ Somewhere else means something this time. Mine slides his tie up tight against the collar, replacing the other feeling. ] Let's go.
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He's run out of his cigarette. With Mine there across from him, droplets of cool water rolling over skin that's blooming mauve in spots from bruises. His eyes go to the tattooed streaks of gold and red on his shoulders when Mine bends, catching only a glimpse of the colors before Mine is upright once more. His lashes cast a little lower with his focus. ]
You won. [ And the reward for doing so is implied.
The expression on the young patriarch's face is unlike what he often shows on it and only Mine is here to witness. Satisfied is a word that matches. More than that though, he wants something from Mineβ something, he thinks, in one glance that Mine will understand without him needing to speak aloud. ]
Are you okay?
[ Before hurrying out with him, he refers to the injuries. Manners. Where he is now, Nishikiyama can see places where Mine's skin had split, washed a light red now by the shower. They'll probably dry and start to scab over by the time he dresses himself. ]
no subject
[ Praise. That's why he did it. There's no more noble reasonβhow, when the terms of the fight itself are explicit. Mine notes the remnant smell of blood and sweat on him, not having taken the time to scrub, mixing with that of still just-warm tobacco. The invisible cloak of Nishikiyama's close presence. Now he revels in the moment, pause he couldn't take in the ring even in view of his triumph, heard over speakers.
All because privacy between them had been hidden away behind demands made of tonight. There is something that will have made worth Nishikiyama's absence, Mine's deprivation. The patriarch's gaze promises. Mine meets it, matches it. He wants to give more than his victory in the Coliseum. ]
I'm fine. [ The next day or two'll see scrapes and bruises darken, but for now. Hair gets pushed back out of his face again. He'll get dressed. Hope is that Nishikiyama can skip watching the other two fightsβ he's here right now. Isn't Arase's already happening? ]
We can leave. [ Mine thinks so. ]
no subject
[ Shindo and Arase are queued to follow. Though Nishikiyama doesn't say anything about his plans, he figures that Mine has caught on. He watches the hanging shorter pieces of Mine's hair get combed back and flat against his head. They stay matted down for a while, but their weight makes them fall the same way Nishikiyama's do without hair product. Nishikiyama hasn't seen him so unstyled before. ]
The other families needed to see that from you. It was good.
[ It's small talk. Nishikiyama drifts closer to the doorway and leans his back against one of the walls. His readiness to leave is apparent while Mine dresses himself. ]
no subject
Compulsively, while getting dressed, Mine keeps pushing his hair back, until the remaining product that didn't get washed out lets it sit in some way like his normal style. Still, unusually lose. He's aware of Nishikiyama's eyes on him, they barely wander. ]
I did it for you. [ Mine's pretend to be nowhere in particular, honest but reserving something, knowing that Nishikiyama's comment hadn't been meant for much. ]
no subject
Thought so. [ His throat tightens. ] βThat's fine, though. I like it better that way.
[ Then, embarrassment. Should he have even said so? Mine's face is still handsome when he looks up to see it again, and Nishikiyama's mouth pulls with some uncertainty. He tries running the moment over, deliberately leaving no room or pause for Mine to linger too long on the sentiment. ]
You done? Hurry up, let's go somewhere else.
no subject
Mine doesn't go searching for the look that avoids him, though. Same tightness, presumably, that squeezes Nishikiyama's throat settles beneath his breastbone. He couldn't say anything in between if the other man let him, frankly, finding himself wound around the sensation. Having another reason isn't unwelcome; he feels strange and flighty.
Nishikiyama's impatience helpsβ ] Yes, [ Somewhere else means something this time. Mine slides his tie up tight against the collar, replacing the other feeling. ] Let's go.