[Fic] Alone | Aioria, Shaka. G
Title: Alone
Author: Muzy
Series: Saint Seiya
Characters: Aioria, Shaka
Rating: G
Length: 845 words
He could feel the tears burning in his eyes, so he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against his knees and wrapping his arms around his bent legs. No one had seen him cry since his brother had...well, since Aiorios had gone, and he'd be damned if he'd let any of them see his tears, ever. But this part of Sanctuary was remote - he hadn't seen anyone here for hours, Aioria thought - so it was safe. He was safe.
He thought he was safe.
"Aioria?" asked a soft voice behind him, and Aioria stiffened as he recognized the voice. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Aioria said, his voice muffled. But it was even and calm, he thought, and maybe Shaka would believe him and just leave him alone.
"You're lying," Shaka said calmly, and Aioria heard the rustle of grass and fallen leaves as Shaka settled down next to him. "You haven't been fine for awhile now."
Aioria peered at Shaka from underneath his folded arms. He was blurry, because of the tears, but Aioria could make out his long blond hair, the white fabric of his sangati, and his impassive expression. He'd never seen anything faze Shaka, he thought. He wondered if anything ever would.
"If you knew that," he finally said, his voice rougher than he wanted it to be, "why did you ask me?"
Shaka glanced at him. "It seemed like I should," he said, and Aioria snorted.
"Right," he said. He lifted his head, rubbing a hand across his eyes before turning to look at Shaka. "How did you find me? Were you looking for me?"
Shaka tipped his head to one side. "No," he said. "This is one of my favorite places. I come here a lot."
"Oh," Aioria said. He turned his head and stared off into the distance. "Sorry to bother you then," he added, and started to rise.
Shaka's hand clamped around his arm, stronger than Aioria would have expected. "I didn't say you were bothering me," he said. "Stay."
Aioria felt his lips twitch into a small smile that was almost instantly gone again, and he sank back down without a word.
"You used to spend time with your friends constantly," Shaka said a moment later into the silence.
"How do you know that?" Aioria asked, his brown eyebrows lifting up underneath his his hair.
"I saw you," Shaka said simply. "Now you're alone."
Aioria shrugged. "I don't have friends anymore," he said. "Not after what happened."
"Hmm," Shaka said, and his usual calm tone was skeptical. "I don't think it has to be that way."
"It doesn't matter," Aioria said. "I couldn't be friends with them now."
"We could be friends," Shaka said unexpectedly, and Aioria's head whipped around. "I don't hold you accountable for your brother's actions," Shaka continued, "and I like you."
Aioria blinked. "You do?"
"Yes," Shaka said simply, his mouth curving into a faint smile. "So, friends?"
Aioria hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah, okay," he said. "Friends."
Shaka's hand slipped down Aioria's arm to link with his, and he gave it an almost imperceptible squeeze. Aioria squeezed his back.
*
Aioria's lips twitched as he plopped down under the tree and leaned to one side. His breath feathered across Shaka's cheek, and he grinned as he watched his eyebrow twitch. "What are you doing?"
Shaka turned his head and lifted an eyebrow. "What does it look like?"
"Taking a nap," Aioria replied as he leaned back against the rough bark of the trunk. Shaka snorted.
"I was meditating," he said. "As you knew."
Aioria grinned. "My mistake," he said. "Oops." If Shaka's eyes were open, he thought, the other man would be rolling them now. But they weren't, and he didn't.
"You don't come here as much anymore," Shaka said instead, and there was an odd tone in his voice, Aioria thought. Like the other man had missed him. "I have gotten used to having it to myself."
"I don't need a place to be alone so much anymore," Aioria said.
"You never needed to be alone," Shaka corrected. "You didn't even want to be alone."
Aioria's lips curved, and he leaned towards Shaka. "You're right, of course," he said as his took Shaka's chin in his hand and turned his face towards him. His lips covered Shaka's in a kiss that was slow and gentle and sort of sweet, and then he leaned back again. Shaka's eyes were open now, he noted, and just a little unfocused. Aioria grinned with satisfaction. He trailed a fingertip along Shaka's jaw and lifted his eyebrows. "I should just go along with you all the time, don't you think?"
Shaka snorted. "Yes," he said. "But that will only happen in my dreams."
Aioria looked amused. "If that's what you're dreaming about, then we need too...mmph." He laughed as Shaka pushed him back against the grass and leaned over him, pressing his lips against Aioria's in a hard kiss before pulling back.
"That's not what I dream about," Shaka muttered, and Aioria's laughter rang out.
Author: Muzy
Series: Saint Seiya
Characters: Aioria, Shaka
Rating: G
Length: 845 words
He could feel the tears burning in his eyes, so he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against his knees and wrapping his arms around his bent legs. No one had seen him cry since his brother had...well, since Aiorios had gone, and he'd be damned if he'd let any of them see his tears, ever. But this part of Sanctuary was remote - he hadn't seen anyone here for hours, Aioria thought - so it was safe. He was safe.
He thought he was safe.
"Aioria?" asked a soft voice behind him, and Aioria stiffened as he recognized the voice. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Aioria said, his voice muffled. But it was even and calm, he thought, and maybe Shaka would believe him and just leave him alone.
"You're lying," Shaka said calmly, and Aioria heard the rustle of grass and fallen leaves as Shaka settled down next to him. "You haven't been fine for awhile now."
Aioria peered at Shaka from underneath his folded arms. He was blurry, because of the tears, but Aioria could make out his long blond hair, the white fabric of his sangati, and his impassive expression. He'd never seen anything faze Shaka, he thought. He wondered if anything ever would.
"If you knew that," he finally said, his voice rougher than he wanted it to be, "why did you ask me?"
Shaka glanced at him. "It seemed like I should," he said, and Aioria snorted.
"Right," he said. He lifted his head, rubbing a hand across his eyes before turning to look at Shaka. "How did you find me? Were you looking for me?"
Shaka tipped his head to one side. "No," he said. "This is one of my favorite places. I come here a lot."
"Oh," Aioria said. He turned his head and stared off into the distance. "Sorry to bother you then," he added, and started to rise.
Shaka's hand clamped around his arm, stronger than Aioria would have expected. "I didn't say you were bothering me," he said. "Stay."
Aioria felt his lips twitch into a small smile that was almost instantly gone again, and he sank back down without a word.
"You used to spend time with your friends constantly," Shaka said a moment later into the silence.
"How do you know that?" Aioria asked, his brown eyebrows lifting up underneath his his hair.
"I saw you," Shaka said simply. "Now you're alone."
Aioria shrugged. "I don't have friends anymore," he said. "Not after what happened."
"Hmm," Shaka said, and his usual calm tone was skeptical. "I don't think it has to be that way."
"It doesn't matter," Aioria said. "I couldn't be friends with them now."
"We could be friends," Shaka said unexpectedly, and Aioria's head whipped around. "I don't hold you accountable for your brother's actions," Shaka continued, "and I like you."
Aioria blinked. "You do?"
"Yes," Shaka said simply, his mouth curving into a faint smile. "So, friends?"
Aioria hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah, okay," he said. "Friends."
Shaka's hand slipped down Aioria's arm to link with his, and he gave it an almost imperceptible squeeze. Aioria squeezed his back.
*
Aioria's lips twitched as he plopped down under the tree and leaned to one side. His breath feathered across Shaka's cheek, and he grinned as he watched his eyebrow twitch. "What are you doing?"
Shaka turned his head and lifted an eyebrow. "What does it look like?"
"Taking a nap," Aioria replied as he leaned back against the rough bark of the trunk. Shaka snorted.
"I was meditating," he said. "As you knew."
Aioria grinned. "My mistake," he said. "Oops." If Shaka's eyes were open, he thought, the other man would be rolling them now. But they weren't, and he didn't.
"You don't come here as much anymore," Shaka said instead, and there was an odd tone in his voice, Aioria thought. Like the other man had missed him. "I have gotten used to having it to myself."
"I don't need a place to be alone so much anymore," Aioria said.
"You never needed to be alone," Shaka corrected. "You didn't even want to be alone."
Aioria's lips curved, and he leaned towards Shaka. "You're right, of course," he said as his took Shaka's chin in his hand and turned his face towards him. His lips covered Shaka's in a kiss that was slow and gentle and sort of sweet, and then he leaned back again. Shaka's eyes were open now, he noted, and just a little unfocused. Aioria grinned with satisfaction. He trailed a fingertip along Shaka's jaw and lifted his eyebrows. "I should just go along with you all the time, don't you think?"
Shaka snorted. "Yes," he said. "But that will only happen in my dreams."
Aioria looked amused. "If that's what you're dreaming about, then we need too...mmph." He laughed as Shaka pushed him back against the grass and leaned over him, pressing his lips against Aioria's in a hard kiss before pulling back.
"That's not what I dream about," Shaka muttered, and Aioria's laughter rang out.