[multipart] Scientific Progress Goes "Whoops": Home Again, Home Again [2/5]
Title: Home Again, Home Again
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou!
Characters/Pairings: Yozak/Murata, Gwendal
Genre: Fluff/Mild Citrus
Words: 979
Notes: I've been doing so much fic for kkm_challenge that I need to post over here. This one is a follow-up piece to " Tea for Two", one of my entries over there. Go read that one first, because this one will be more fun if you do. :D
Yozak hefted his pack a little higher on his back after jumping down off the obliging farmer's cart. He saw the Shin Makoku border checkpoint in the distance and picked up his pace a little; with some good luck and a horse, he could get back to the capital before dark. His Excellency would be interested in some of the information he'd gleaned from the mucky-muck over in Svelera, and he hadn't had any decent beer or company in weeks.
The guards looked half ready to stop him, but a surreptitious flash of his "no borders" token halted that in its tracks. He didn't blame them; heaven only knew what he looked like. He knew he had a generous amount of stubble on his cheeks and chin that he'd get around to shaving once he could stop moving for more than an hour at a time. Maybe he'd put in for castle detail when he got back; he could use a breath of civilization and regular duty assignments after nearly a month hiding in the rafters of almost every noble house in the desert country.
Of course, a week of looking after the kiddo and his entourage while keeping an eye on the Court would have him itching to be off again. Such was the life of those with wandering feet. Shame Conrad had never inherited Dunheely's.
They let him borrow a horse from the way station and he made it to Blood Pledge Castle as the sun was heading toward the tree line. His arrival pulled Gwendal out of dinner, which the older man seemed perfectly content with; the peanut gallery must have been in fine form that evening. He unloaded his information onto Gwendal's open ears and, about two hours later, left the office with a promise of a report on his desk by tomorrow afternoon.
"Yozak." The redhead turned, halfway out the door. His Excellency waved him back into the office. "I was asked to give you this."
Gwendal held out a small square of paper, not much bigger than his thumb, with one of those looks that said he was trying very hard to appear chastising but failing just enough to look fondly exasperated. Yozak grinned and accepted the paper, not needing to open it to know who it was from. "Half step ahead of me," he said.
His boss snorted. "Report. Tomorrow afternoon."
"Yessir~" Yozak trilled as he left the office. He did check the note as he lingered outside the closed door; it gave just a simple room description, a relatively mild riddle where his companion was concerned.
Dinner would have been well over by now, with everyone dispersing for the evening. He really should go meet up with Conrad, first, but more than likely his old friend was with the Maou. The kiddo had a knack for being something of a time sink; once you fell into his presence, something he'd do could keep you busy for hours. And he certainly didn't want to waste so much time doing the usual dog and pony show when he had someone waiting for him.
Besides, he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't solve the riddle in what his companion considered a reasonable amount of time.
Which, Yozak figured, was a fairly short window, given there were possibly only two rooms in the whole castle with pink walls and frilly lace curtains. And one of those rooms belonged to the Maou's daughter.
Ten minutes later, he let himself into the room, and grinned as Murata looked up from the book he was reading. The youth mimed checking his watch, then smiled. "Did you get lost along the way?"
Yozak shut the door behind him and turned the key in the lock without even having to look at it. "Maybe I took my time," he replied lightly, and stepped into the room. Murata closed his book without marking his place, which Yozak took to mean he hadn't really been reading at all, while he waited. His Highness could be such a little shit sometimes. Granted, one he was currently very glad to see, but a little shit nonetheless. "Why? You weren't waiting for me, were you?"
Murata made a show of checking his nails for dirt. "Of course not. I happen to be very fond of this decor."
Yozak placed one hand on the table and leaned over him. When Murata looked up, he had to tilt his head back in order to see. "Oh, really?" He bent down further, and feathered his lips over the corner of the Sage's mouth.
"Actually, it's hideous," Murata replied, breathing shallow. "But I figured you couldn't possibly not find it." He pressed his hands against the arms of the chair to give himself leverage, and push himself up into a hungry kiss. Yozak slid his arms around Murata's waist and hauled him to his feet as he kissed back and felt the familiar curves and planes press up against his body. Murata moaned under his breath as the spy untucked his shirt and slipped his hands up underneath it to stroke his bare skin. He returned the favor by sliding his hands up into Yozak's hair. "Mmmm... do me a favor and get castle duty for a while?" One hand came down to stroke the side of Yozak's face. "And shave?" His breath hitched as fingernails dragged along his spine. "Ngh... and do that again..."
Yozak laughed and obliged, growling softly as he felt the back arch beneath his touch. "So demanding, Highness," he teased. "You've gotten selfish since I've been gone."
Murata nipped at his lower lip, meeting his gaze with a hazy, but amused, one of his own. "You're a bad influence on me." He licked his lips and those impossibly dark eyes seemed to get even darker. "And I haven't even gotten started."
On to Part 3
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou!
Characters/Pairings: Yozak/Murata, Gwendal
Genre: Fluff/Mild Citrus
Words: 979
Notes: I've been doing so much fic for kkm_challenge that I need to post over here. This one is a follow-up piece to " Tea for Two", one of my entries over there. Go read that one first, because this one will be more fun if you do. :D
Yozak hefted his pack a little higher on his back after jumping down off the obliging farmer's cart. He saw the Shin Makoku border checkpoint in the distance and picked up his pace a little; with some good luck and a horse, he could get back to the capital before dark. His Excellency would be interested in some of the information he'd gleaned from the mucky-muck over in Svelera, and he hadn't had any decent beer or company in weeks.
The guards looked half ready to stop him, but a surreptitious flash of his "no borders" token halted that in its tracks. He didn't blame them; heaven only knew what he looked like. He knew he had a generous amount of stubble on his cheeks and chin that he'd get around to shaving once he could stop moving for more than an hour at a time. Maybe he'd put in for castle detail when he got back; he could use a breath of civilization and regular duty assignments after nearly a month hiding in the rafters of almost every noble house in the desert country.
Of course, a week of looking after the kiddo and his entourage while keeping an eye on the Court would have him itching to be off again. Such was the life of those with wandering feet. Shame Conrad had never inherited Dunheely's.
They let him borrow a horse from the way station and he made it to Blood Pledge Castle as the sun was heading toward the tree line. His arrival pulled Gwendal out of dinner, which the older man seemed perfectly content with; the peanut gallery must have been in fine form that evening. He unloaded his information onto Gwendal's open ears and, about two hours later, left the office with a promise of a report on his desk by tomorrow afternoon.
"Yozak." The redhead turned, halfway out the door. His Excellency waved him back into the office. "I was asked to give you this."
Gwendal held out a small square of paper, not much bigger than his thumb, with one of those looks that said he was trying very hard to appear chastising but failing just enough to look fondly exasperated. Yozak grinned and accepted the paper, not needing to open it to know who it was from. "Half step ahead of me," he said.
His boss snorted. "Report. Tomorrow afternoon."
"Yessir~" Yozak trilled as he left the office. He did check the note as he lingered outside the closed door; it gave just a simple room description, a relatively mild riddle where his companion was concerned.
Dinner would have been well over by now, with everyone dispersing for the evening. He really should go meet up with Conrad, first, but more than likely his old friend was with the Maou. The kiddo had a knack for being something of a time sink; once you fell into his presence, something he'd do could keep you busy for hours. And he certainly didn't want to waste so much time doing the usual dog and pony show when he had someone waiting for him.
Besides, he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't solve the riddle in what his companion considered a reasonable amount of time.
Which, Yozak figured, was a fairly short window, given there were possibly only two rooms in the whole castle with pink walls and frilly lace curtains. And one of those rooms belonged to the Maou's daughter.
Ten minutes later, he let himself into the room, and grinned as Murata looked up from the book he was reading. The youth mimed checking his watch, then smiled. "Did you get lost along the way?"
Yozak shut the door behind him and turned the key in the lock without even having to look at it. "Maybe I took my time," he replied lightly, and stepped into the room. Murata closed his book without marking his place, which Yozak took to mean he hadn't really been reading at all, while he waited. His Highness could be such a little shit sometimes. Granted, one he was currently very glad to see, but a little shit nonetheless. "Why? You weren't waiting for me, were you?"
Murata made a show of checking his nails for dirt. "Of course not. I happen to be very fond of this decor."
Yozak placed one hand on the table and leaned over him. When Murata looked up, he had to tilt his head back in order to see. "Oh, really?" He bent down further, and feathered his lips over the corner of the Sage's mouth.
"Actually, it's hideous," Murata replied, breathing shallow. "But I figured you couldn't possibly not find it." He pressed his hands against the arms of the chair to give himself leverage, and push himself up into a hungry kiss. Yozak slid his arms around Murata's waist and hauled him to his feet as he kissed back and felt the familiar curves and planes press up against his body. Murata moaned under his breath as the spy untucked his shirt and slipped his hands up underneath it to stroke his bare skin. He returned the favor by sliding his hands up into Yozak's hair. "Mmmm... do me a favor and get castle duty for a while?" One hand came down to stroke the side of Yozak's face. "And shave?" His breath hitched as fingernails dragged along his spine. "Ngh... and do that again..."
Yozak laughed and obliged, growling softly as he felt the back arch beneath his touch. "So demanding, Highness," he teased. "You've gotten selfish since I've been gone."
Murata nipped at his lower lip, meeting his gaze with a hazy, but amused, one of his own. "You're a bad influence on me." He licked his lips and those impossibly dark eyes seemed to get even darker. "And I haven't even gotten started."
On to Part 3