Archive of Our Own ^beta

Suna inhales. Air is granted access to become part of his system as the intimate guest of his body, filling his lungs to later travel up his throat and leave his mouth in the form of an exhausted, defeated sigh. The unsteady yet solid rhythm of his thoughts is based on words that after years of long-lasting lessons and tough trainings, have managed to safeguard their place even in the most rotten corner of his head.

Remember to breathe.

Inhaling and exhaling air, an action as easy and daily —almost unconscious—, must be remembered despite its active role when the relationship between oxygen and fire can be defined as unpredictable, free from all security. With his eyes closed and his forehead against the maroon color of his locker, Suna attempts to loosen the tension that accompanies his muscles until a draft of air brushes his neck and all intent of cooling down is interrupted.

His eyes are still closed, his concentration is lost. Quiet but loud enough to be heard, the golden color of his gaze doesn't make a sudden appearance when he decides to express, "I'll turn your hair to ashes."

"He'll turn yer hair to ashes." He hears.

Once again a soft, almost nonexistent tickle of air meets his nape.

"I mean it."

"He means it."

Fire and air can be classified as the worst of the formulas as well as represent a powerful combination. Being aware of his surroundings is an action that Suna has made part of his routine, so the simple beginning of a breeze causes him to reach into his jean pocket and pull out a small orange ball to let it fall onto the ground.

The sound of rapid running footsteps intermingled with Atsumu’s screams reaches his ears. He stops holding his forehead against the locker and finally the seriousness of his gaze meets the image of Osamu.

By his side, with one side of his body against the lockers, Osamu holds a playful expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, he's an idiot."

Suna's answer lacks presence as he turns his head to see a path marked by small carbon footprints. "What didja do this time?" Osamu adds, as it’s not the first time that Atsumu's approach shows no results because with the help of his spells, Suna comes up with new ways to impose distance between the beginning of Atsumu's jokes and the end of his own patience.

"Small encapsulated spheres of fire." Once again he reaches into his pocket to hold one in the palm of his hand, the same one meeting the black leather of his glove. "It was one of the lessons I had last semester. You throw them against the ground or you smash them and..."

Instead of giving more theoretical explanations, he squashes it with the help of his other hand and the sphere turns into a small flame of fire that doesn’t seem to ruin the fabric that covers his hand. Floating in the center of his palm, the vivid flame shows its orange color as its darker tip remains radiant. "Fire. It won’t get consumed until it hits another surface."

Osamu laughs as he understands that soon his brother's jeans will count with a black trace, even if Suna has assured him that he would turn the platinum color of his hair to ashes. He watches the fire dissolve when Suna's closes his hand in a fist until he looks up at his face, and raises both eyebrows in amazement.

"Oh," He says, "These ones are new."

He brings his hand to Suna's face to raise his head slightly and hold his chin between his thumb and index finger. He gives himself the opportunity to look at the new two rings that embrace the left side of Suna's lower lip, as well as to attempt to form contact between his thumb and Suna's lip, but chooses not to do so in case that decision turns out to be taken by Suna as a nuisance since now his lip has been the victim of new perforations.

"Do you like them?"

Osamu looks at him, looks down at the piercings again, and holds up a smile.

"Yeah, I like the color." He replies, its golden color highlighting the rosy hue of Suna’s lips.

"I did them yesterday." The curve of Suna’s mouth is not a true gesture of happiness and Osamu stops holding his face. "I cast a spell on them to get rid of the pain, and so that in case my fire goes out of control, it does hurt."

Osamu frowns, confused.

"What do you mean?" He asks, but Suna looks down and shrugs.

"If I go overboard with my powers, the rings get activated with the heat and burn me. It's to… calm me down, to remind me that I'm going overboard again."

Osamu looks at him, not being a surprise that Suna's eyebags are darker than normal, or that he appears to be downcast. He isn't surprised by the aloud expression of those words either, but instead of making a comment, he tries to cheer him up by saying, "Well, I think they suit ya. I can't have them so the only option I have left is to admire yo— admire them."

He gets Suna to decorate his face with a smile and for that gesture he also smiles.

His rapid healing doesn’t allow him to have piercings since his skin gets rid of any consequences that could hurt him and therefore the perforations close in a matter of seconds. Seeing how they fit Suna is his only choice, though he believes that he can’t express any complaint about the matter.

He brings one of his hands to Suna’s forehead and touches it with the back of it.

"You’re hot."

Suna closes his eyes and somehow presses his forehead against Osamu's hand. "You're cold." He says, his skin searching for that characteristic coldness until he straightens up and lets out a sigh. "I'm still feeling the effects of my birthday, and this stupid day doesn't help."

His gaze takes into consideration the details of his surroundings, the pink hearts made of paper floating around them becoming the prominent element. He rolls his eyes and raises one of his arms to allow the flame he creates from the tip of his finger to burn one of them, and both he and Osamu lower their heads as it turns to ashes to the ground.

Suna doesn't like Valentine's Day. Rather, he hates it.

He thinks it's unnecessary, as it also reminds him that he doesn't date anyone because people tend to avoid him instead of approaching him.

"All I need is a—"

"Grande iced cherry chocolate chip frappucino."

Osamu holds between them the drink that Suna was about to mention, Suna blinking several times being the reaction he gets. His gaze travels between the glass that Osamu is currently holding, and Osamu himself, realizing that his fatigue had made him avoid the fact that all that time Osamu has been holding it. Finally he decides to look at Osamu, and raises both eyebrows, that gesture being enough for Osamu to keep talking.

"You always say that you crave the same stuff when yer birthday comes by, and you also tend to feel bad the month after yer birthday cuz ya gain power or something like that, right? I know you prefer tea, but when you're like this you prefer cold drinks. I stopped by the place where you always buy, and I thought why not, so."

Suna continues to blink several times at the mention of those words and Osamu believes that he will have to leave the drink against his chest for him to accept it, until Suna takes it, both himself and Osamu making sure that their fingers don’t touch and don’t brush, even if Suna has his gloves on, and Osamu smiles when Suna leaves the straw between his lips and a smile spreads across his face at the first sip of what is certainly his favorite drink.

"Ya need me to freeze it up?" Osamu adds.

"You are a show off, you want to make it clear that you learned to bend water at your will."

"Ah." Osamu brings his hands to his own chest. "Yer words wound me." His sarcasm is impeccable.

"You are immortal." Suna reminds him.

"So is my ego."

"I knew it."

"Do you want me to freeze it or not?"

"I kindly decline your offer."

Osamu squints at the image of Suna holding the beginning of a small smile, but Suna promptly lowers his gaze and thinks of Osamu’s previous words.

He moves his free hand to enclose between his fingers the small crystal sphere that hangs from the necklace around his neck, the crystal protection always keeping alive a small flame that never gets consumed. "With each birthday we gain more power, and I’m twenty now. New decade so it's more power than normal. I'm still trying to get used to it."

He can feel his own self growing, burning. His powers take over his body, forcing him to think of the new changes as his new established self. He grows as well as his range of capabilities. Being a fire witch is a rarity, and he is currently in the Hyogo region, forming part of an academy where people, regardless of what species they are, attend classes after possessing one or more of the four elements of nature.

Osamu hums and he too looks around.

"I think this day is stupid too." He allows one of the paper hearts to land in his hand. He takes advantage of the fact that the floor has recently been mopped to make some drops float until the texture is wet and ruined, and lets it fall. "It used to be funnier before, now only this cheap decoration remains."

"Did you like it better before?"

Suna never misses the opportunity to ask him questions about before, since if there is something he likes more than studying history, it’s having a person who can tell him for himself the characteristics of the past considering that Osamu is a vampire.

Hidden fangs, eternal heartbeats and endless days and nights, unimaginable strength and an unsatisfying blood desire. Suna only sees vast knowledge, interesting anecdotes, and graceful, pale facial features.

Osamu smiles. "I can’t answer. They are different times."

Before, that day was more creative. Search games, walking through corridors with walls littered with pictures of people belonging to royal families. Large banquets and labyrinths made of grass, the color green confusing him. Perhaps it’s true that now no letters are given and that only floating hearts made of paper are those to decorate the environment, but Osamu believes that no complaints can leave his lips when the color red lives in front of him.

It’s likely due to the fact that Suna is a fire witch and is therefore unconsciously inclined to dress in colors with which he is familiar, but with high-waist black jeans and a short red sweater like the color of his eyeliner, Osamu thinks that he doesn’t care about the decoration around him because resting his eyes on it is not of his interest either.

"Aren’tcha cold?" He chooses to ask him, knowing the answer.

"No." Suna shakes his head before taking another sip of his drink. "You?"

"Ya kidding me?" Osamu's face is decorated with a grin and Suna laughs when he sees him move the sleeves of his sweater, proud of the piece of clothing he is currently wearing. "I had to wear heavy coats, robes, before. A sweater is the best thing in the world, they are super comfortable. It's cool, don'tcha think? Look, it's even studded."

Suna can’t help but turn his laugh into the happy smile that remains on his face, since watching and hearing Osamu being completely happy for the simple fact of being able to wear a light-blue sweater with studs on the sleeves, it’s entertaining. He stops holding the drink with both hands to bring one to his necklace, again enclosing the sphere between his fingers because it’s a move that he has become used to doing when he feels that his cheeks are decorated with a slight reddish hue, but that gesture gets Osamu to look at him with his head tilted.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Suna lets out a sigh until he leaves his temple against the locker.

"I don't know." The truth is what he says.

His days are characterized by ups and downs since he turned twenty years old, which is not a surprise since, as he has told Osamu, a new decade implies more powers; but in turn, more powers imply more practice, more effort, more spells, books, words and lessons. His tiredness is evident, and besides, that day the world decides to show him that everyone can count on a person with whom to hold their hand, except for him.

He doesn’t like it. He always chooses to wear gloves because he is afraid of burning something or someone by brushing his fingers. Harm is not what he wants to cause, so he's started forcing himself to avoid making contact. It’s fastidious. People turn away from him out of fear, except for the twins, since while Atsumu doesn’t hesitate to annoy him, Osamu is still by his side.

He doesn’t understand why.

"Hey, cheer up." Osamu touches his chin with his fingers to encourage him, since Suna avoiding to touch Osamu doesn’t imply that Osamu seeks to avoid contact with Suna, but quite the opposite.

He knows he can't touch his hands with his, but there’s still a lot of skin available.

"At least we are not in the middle of summer." He adds.

Suna holds up a weak smile.

"I'm a fire witch and I prefer winter." He says, noting the irony of his situation.

"You really are interesting," Osamu says. Fire witches prefer summer, dry seasons, and landscapes decorated with elements that indicate heat. That is not the case with Suna. "Hey, you gonna do somethin’ today?"

"I was thinking about going for a swim, to the pool later, I'm feeling hot again."

"Well, have ya seen yerself?"

"I really mean it," Suna expresses though one of the corners of his mouth goes up anyway. "You said it before."

"You must be the only fire witch that goes to the swimming pool. ‘kay, do you have a fever?"

Osamu rests his hand against his forehead, certainly feeling it a little warmer than normal, but,

"Your cold hand is useless against my forehead."

"May I go with ya?"

Suna bites the inner part of his cheek to then immediately avoid taking a sip of his drink once Osamu stops holding his hand against his forehead. "Aren't you going to do anything today? It's Valentine's Day." He says, as if the decorations around him aren't reminder enough.

"No, it has been the same party for centuries. Besides, I don't know." He shrugs. "I can go with you so that nothing happens to ya."

"Don’t you get bored of the pool?" Suna asks him.

He controls fire as Osamu has powers of water. Osamu considers water sources as his second home.

"Hey, it's water. And it's you." Osamu says, and Suna takes a big sip of his drink, hoping that the cold from it will keep the heat he feels from exposing itself in the form of a blush on his face. "Besides, I have already been to two schools, and none had a swimming pool."

Suna laughs. "I don't understand how you can bear so much education."

"In my defense they were different schools. The first one was about languages to be able to move without limits once I learned that, well, I won’t die and therefore I can know many places." Osamu comments, and Suna doesn't stop holding a smile on his face. "The second one was to master my cooking skills because, well, I like to cook, and this one I like it because I learn more about myself. It happens to have a swimming pool too."

Suna pretends to sigh and on that occasion chooses to take a necklace that is not his, since he leaves on his hand the ring that hangs from the thin chain around Osamu's neck. "I don't understand why you don't take night classes." He mentions.

He understands that the ring against the sun doesn’t lose its effectiveness even if Osamu doesn’t use it around his finger because it’s preferable before taking it off and putting it on when he cooks, but the reason why he doesn’t choose the night turn remains beyond his knowledge.

"And where would the fun be? I wouldn’t have the opportunity to see ya."

Suna bites his lower lip and stops holding his necklace.

"Has flirting with so many people throughout your life taught you how to flirt with everyone you come across?" He asks him.

"Just with ya, but is it working?" Suna smiles and rolls his eyes instead of answering. "Hey, you still haven't answered me."

Suna lets out a sigh, pretending he’s thinking.

"You can be my company, I suppose."

Osamu smiles with enthusiasm. Perhaps his words do work.

Suna looks at his hands. Long and graceful fingers, often decorated with different types of rings when no kind of texture keeps them hidden; limbs that are used to controlling fire at ease, although many other times Suna feels that the situation is reversed, his hands become the puppet of the decisions of the flaming element. He performs spells, free from the leather of his gloves when his apartment is his surrounding and no company is by his side.

At that moment he chooses to hold his hands together on his lap, trying not to concentrate on the fact that he is sitting at the edge of the pool, his hands without gloves while people move around him.

He blinks, still being downcast.

The weeks following his birthday raise the levels of his insecurity, force him to be alert without resting since mistakes are not what he seeks to make. But the water reaches a few centimeters before his knees, and even if he is supposed to take the pool as a place that he shouldn’t want to approach because water is the opposite element of his, it often leaves him calm, just like at that time.

He wonders where Osamu is since he himself had insisted on accompanying him, until his question is answered when Osamu appears running from behind and doesn’t hesitate to jump head first into the water, with his arms stretched out in front of his head, getting Suna to close his eyes when water is splashed on him. A smile appears on his face as he is no longer alone, but he arches an eyebrow when Osamu re-emerges above the water and gives him an amused smile because he knows he has thrown water at him.

Osamu swims over to where he is and purposefully shakes his head, his black locks splashing even more water.

"You are a brute."

A laugh escapes Osamu's lips before he chooses to cross his arms above the surface where Suna is. Suna watches him as well as the way the drops slide down his muscles, until he decides to place his eyes on the water.

"Hey, come on, get in, it’s nice." Osamu tells him.

"It will always be nice for you no matter what."

Osamu elbows his thigh, making Suna look at him and therefore at the way Osamu points to the water with his head. Suna lets out a sigh, but still moves to stop sitting and closes his eyes before dropping himself into the water, letting it to embrace him for a few seconds until he re-emerges.

He finds Osamu with his arms no longer on the surface. As he had thought, being surrounded by water makes him feel safer since it weakens him, but he chooses to leave his hands under water anyway. He is always careful even if he has his gloves on, but when he doesn’t have them with him, even more so.

"Hey, yer eyeliner is kinda… smudged." Osamu looks at him.

Suna holds a defeated expression, realizing that he has been so preoccupied with himself that he has forgotten to cast a spell on his eyeliner so it doesn't get ruined with the water. "Damn it."

He begins to think about how disastrous he must look with wet hair and smudged eyeliner, but his chain of thoughts is soon interrupted when Osamu moves a bit to stay floating near him, the water reaching up to his shoulders. Osamu leaves his hands on his face to correct his smudged makeup with the help of his thumbs.

Suna keeps his hands behind his back as Osamu runs his gray eyes over his face, making sure that no line of eyeliner traces any inch of his skin.

"You're always touching my face." Suna mentions.

Perhaps just because, because the silence was beginning to make him aware, or because he is more than aware of the fact that Osamu, in some way or another, always seeks to keep his hands on some part of his face.

Osamu's eyes meet his and smiles.

"It’s warm."

Suna believes that it’s a simple balance.

Coldness characterizes Osamu and his skin as mortality is not part of him and his body has lost its proper temperature, while his is above the established temperature thanks to his fire nature and the spells he is capable of performing.

But unlike Osamu, seeking to leave his hands on any part of his body is not an action he plans to carry out as he believes that it implies the possibility of hurting Osamu.

"I like the color of yer nails."

After hearing his words, Suna realizes that he has stopped keeping his hands behind his back to help himself float since they are in the deepest part of the pool, but he quickly brings them together although the same makes floating difficult and the water to reach his neck.

"Is the water temperature okay?" Osamu adds.

Suna nods and hums in response, his eyes set on the reddish color of his fingernails underwater. Embraced by the water, his head doesn't feel so heavy anymore in the same way that fatigue leaves his body, but he's not completely unconcerned about the fact that he's not wearing his gloves anyway, as one bad move could ruin the moment.

"Hey." He looks at Osamu when he speaks. "Raise the palms of yer hands."

"Osam—"

"Trust me."

Suna blinks. One, two, three times.

Osamu knows that he uses gloves for as long as he can for safety reasons.

What Osamu is asking is not difficult. To raise his hands and trust him.

He bites down on the inner part of his cheek and lets out a big breath before slowly opting to stop holding his hands just an inch from the water.

"I do." He assures him.

Osamu glances at him and one corner of his mouth lifts up before his hands move closer to his. Any attempt to breathe is caught in Suna's throat, but Osamu moves his hands within an inch of his and water rises from the pool to hug the shape of his hands.

Suna tilts his head and moves his fingers, the water following their movements.

"Water gloves, to keep ya calm."

Relaxation takes over Suna's shoulders and he keeps moving his fingers, his hands and the water never ceasing to act as its protection. He looks at Osamu and smiles. "Thank you."

Osamu winks at him. "I like swimming pools," He says promptly. "There wasn't any before, I think." Suna laughs when he hears him. His eyes are still on his hands, he finds himself sliding them above the water, finally feeling truly free after not needing to hide them below the surface. "We used to go to lakes before, the most beautiful ones. One day I could take ya to one if you want."

"Yeah, I want to."

"But we're here now, so come on." Suna looks at him, confused and tilting his head when Osamu turns around and taps one of his own shoulders with his fingers. "Get on my back, we'll move a little. You just need to put yer arms around my shoulders."

Suna sees Osamu leaving his arms under the water, a platform seeming to be created under them as he stops floating to appear to be in the lowest part of the pool. He looks at his hands as well as the water surrounding them, and carefully approaches Osamu, slowly in case Osamu decides to change his mind, but Osamu takes a look at him and Suna finally approaches and wraps his shoulders with his arms, clasping his hands away from his chest even if they are in the water and he has water gloves.

Osamu's back meets his chest as well as his hands his arms, and Suna understands that Osamu has raised the water level for himself so that he doesn’t need to exert effort since he walks instead of floating. Skin-to-skin contact, his fingers curl and his goose bumps are neutralized by the water.

Suna takes advantage of the fact that Osamu is looking straight ahead so that he can watch him, the corners of his mouth lifting up. He's used to avoiding people and vice versa, to get away and be careful. Glances in the distance and thoughts that will never come true, breaks with his remoteness. Finding himself hugging Osamu feels good, feels comfortable.

Osamu's hands are still on his arms in the same way as his arms above his shoulders, and while he would like to be able to let his hands brush the skin on his chest, he believes that for the moment that is more than enough.

"Hey, hi, hi, you two."

Osamu doesn't stop but they both turn their heads and smile when they see Gin, who is slowly swimming in order to keep up with them in the lane next to them.

"How are ya, Gin? I see that you also like water even if you don’t control it."

Suna hugs him a little more when he listens to him and one of his temples rests against the back of Osamu's head. Gin laughs at the mention of his words.

"From time to time water is not that bad," Gin assures him, since unlike him, he controls the earth element, and apparently a dip from time to time is not a bad decision. "But any rocky surface is still better, sure."

Osamu stops holding one of his hands on Suna's arm to place his palm on the water and thus make Gin lose his balance. Suna laughs when Gin complains and coughs, and Osamu holds up one corner of his mouth before placing his hand on Suna's arm again.

Suna chooses to hug Osamu closer. The neutral temperature of the water gets Osamu's skin not to feel as cold as it always does, even if he still feels that his cheeks are certainly heating up and not because fire is his element.

"Are you comfortable there?" Osamu asks him.

"All good."

"You like dolphins, don’tcha?"

Suna hums in response, and finally stops watching Osamu's profile when he stops holding his hands on his arms to move them over the water, and promptly slide the same until small water dolphins are created and begin to jump in front of them. They surround them, spinning and dipping into the water while Osamu turns around to come back to where they had previously been.

The dolphins follow their movements and jump. Suna thinks that he would like to touch one but doesn’t want the option of making them disappear to show up, so he is satisfied with looking at them, Osamu moving his hands to control their movements until they reach the deepest part of the pool again.

"You just wanted to come with me to be a show off." Suna mentions at the same time that he stops being on his back and Osamu turns to look at him with both eyebrows raised.

"I don't need to be a show off." Osamu assures him. "All eyes are on ya."

Suna rolls his eyes and a smile spreads across his face until he remembers that while the words are well intentioned, he is aware of the way others see him. They judge him with their eyes only because he is one of the few witches who control fire, and for that reason, the eyes of others are always on him. He takes his hand towards his neck to take his necklace since he has become used to making that gesture when he begins to feel insecure, but unlike all the previous times, his fingers can’t wrap around anything because his necklace is not around his neck.

"No, no, no, no, no." Suna brushes his skin and the water gloves created by Osamu disappear as his nervousness manages to make them evaporate.

He can’t lose his necklace. It’s the only thing that makes him feel more secure when he beings to feel lost. He looks around, unsuccessfully because he can only see water, but as soon as his chest begins to drop heavily, two hands find his shoulders.

"I'll find it, don't worry." Osamu watches him and his speech is sure.

"But what if it didn't fall into the pool? What if I lost it before I got into the water, I don't know, while I was taking my clothes off and not—"

"Hey, no. I saw it, you had it before. It's hard to ignore fire for me. Wait."

Osamu stops being in front of him to dip himself in the water in the same way that he stops holding his hand on his chest when he feels a slight burning and leaves his hands under the water. Not having his gloves on and being nervous, starting to stress is not a good combination. He sees that Osamu moves under the water but he is not capable of seeing what he is doing, until he swims away and then he no longer sees him.

The flame inside his necklace is the spark he has brought with him since he moved to Hyogo and thus the only thing he has with him from Aichi. He can’t lose it under any circumstances since it’s a unique flame, one that even allows him to obtain fire from it in case of being surrounded by elements that remain beyond his control and therefore be his only salvation in case he needs to defend himself with powers that he can control. And yet, at that moment he is, stressing over its disappearance until Osamu quickly resurfaces not so far from him, and a sigh of relief is what leaves Suna’s lips when he sees Osamu with the necklace in hand.

"I told ya, I got it," Osamu says after swimming towards him. "It was at the bottom of the pool."

"I'm so stupid." Suna says without even thinking, and turns around.

He bites his lower lip, thinking about what would have happened if Osamu hadn’t been able to find it only because he had stopped paying attention to the state of his necklace after being distracted by being near Osamu, although he is conscious of both because Osamu passes his arms over his head to place the necklace around his neck, and it’s at that moment that Suna realizes that he has unconsciously turned to allow Osamu to leave the necklace around his neck.

Suddenly Suna feels that the air remains in his throat and is aware of the closeness between them. He can feel Osamu's hands adjusting the necklace as well as his presence behind him.

"Stay calm. I can hear yer heart from here."

Suna hopes that Osamu thinks that the rapid beat of his heart threatens his chest because he is still nervous about momentarily losing his necklace and not because they are close again. It’s often easy for Suna to forget that Osamu is a vampire, that despite looking his age, he is much older and also has powers that he doesn’t possess.

"Don't bite me." He says quietly, barely looking over his shoulder.

The click of the necklace is heard and Osamu places his hands on the area of his body where his neck connects with his shoulders. "I won't." He assures him, his voice sounding closer, and Suna watches a speck of black hair as Osamu hides his head between his neck and shoulder to bite.

Not coldly, not with his fangs, not to change species. But gently, his teeth barely touching his skin. To make him laugh, and to get him to hold a small smile on his face that doesn't go away once Osamu straightens up and he turns to look at him, a slight smile hanging on Osamu's face too.

"Liar." Suna tells him, and Osamu smiles even more. "Thank you."

"Always at yer service."

"If my necklace is difficult to ignore, then why didn't you notice when it wasn't on me?"

"I was distracted." Osamu expresses upon hearing his question. "You distract me."

Suna opens his mouth to reproach him for his words but no phrase leaves his lips since he had just lost his necklace for also being distracted. He brushes the necklace to confirm that it’s still on his chest, and makes sure to put his hands together again and thus move his legs, staying afloat.

"Hey, I was thinking," Osamu says when he doesn't hear him say anything.

"You think?"

Suna laughs when Osamu moves his fingers and water is splashed towards him.

"’tsumu will be out tonight. Ya busy?"

"Why?"

"Wanna come home and have dinner with me? I can cook for ya."

Suna prevents heat from appearing on his cheeks after asking, "Do you even know how to use ovens?"

Instead of responding, Osamu opts to dip underwater and Suna laughs after seeing him, until he moves his hand under the water to signal him to come up and Osamu reappears, moving his locks on purpose to splash water towards him again.

"Ovens already existed in my times."

Suna laughs. "I know." He thinks that after feeling that way, he should decline the invitation, but the reality is that the time spent surrounded by water should appease the emotions that keep haunting him, so he smiles and nods. "I want to go."

Osamu smiles.

"Awesome."

Wasting a second is not what Suna wants. He is used to the windows of his apartment, going from the floor to the ceiling because natural light accompanies him during the day while the full moon is his roommate at night. But the sight his eyes are currently admiring is different. With his knees against his chest and one of his hands holding the necklace that fortunately hasn’t stopped being around his neck, sitting on one of the two individual couches, his gaze is on the stars of that night.

Hearing a door slide makes him blink.

"How are ya?"

He sees Osamu with his head peeking out of the balcony window, not really coming out since it’s cold and it’s below zero degrees. That doesn’t seem to affect Suna since again he is only wearing a crop top and a pair of jeans.

"Better." He assures him. "I'm sorry for ruining the night, I’m sure this is not what you had in mind." He comments, since if he is on the balcony of Osamu's apartment while Osamu is inside, it’s because he hasn’t endured the heat of it and going out to the balcony has been his decision. "I think a new decade has really changed me and I still have to get used to the temperature changes of my body."

"Hey, no, don't worry," Osamu waves his hand. "You want something? Do you want me to take ya home?"

Suna considers his question. What had started as an invitation to have dinner with Osamu has now turned into the opposite, but the truth is, "No, it's fine, I'm fine here. Unless you don’t want me to be?"

Osamu laughs gently, as if he has heard nonsense.

"No, please, I just want ya to be as comfortable as possible."

Suna smiles. "I am, thank you." He says, and leans his head against the window behind him.

Osamu nods when he hears him but opts to finally go out onto the balcony anyway. He approaches him and Suna frowns, slightly confused once Osamu places the back of his hand against his forehead.

"Just checkin’." He says, but Suna’s forehead doesn't feel warm.

Osamu hugs himself, evidently pointing out that it’s cold.

"I don't feel bad, I'm just... I feel warm, but I'm better now."

"Okay." Smoke leaves Osamu's lips. "It won't take me long to finish."

"Okay."

Osamu gives him a smile before heading back inside his apartment and sliding the door behind him. Suna looks after him and lets out a sigh.

He wishes he could find himself next to Osamu, probably laughing while Osamu tells him some story, being able to steal some ingredients while cooking and Osamu scolding him. He can only think of the hand resting on his forehead, but also of all the moments he’s missing because he’s usually warm no matter what season of the year it is, because he has to wear gloves, and because the spells he creates mean danger.

He misses moments and ruins others.

Anyway a small smile is installed on his face while he watches Osamu cook, since he smiles and it’s evident that he likes to find himself that way. In his kitchen, cooking, creating with the help of different ingredients. Osamu seems to finish preparing the final details and Suna turns his head once Osamu turns to him to pretend that he hasn’t been looking at him for the past few minutes.

Osamu appears next to him again and sets two glasses on the small round table in front of him. One that looks like dark wine and another with clear water and a lemon wedge.

"I’ll guess. That’s blood."

Osamu chuckles when he hears him and scratches the back of his neck.

"Yeah, so don't take it. Well, you can take it but I don't think you wanna. The other one is cold lemonade for ya." He says before going back into the apartment.

Suna laughs, the coldness of the drink certainly being felt even through the texture of his gloves. He takes a sip and licks his lips once he allows the drink to lessen his body heat. Osamu returns with a tray, two rows of different onigiris, and finally sits on the couch next to him.

"Looks tasty."

"Thanks, but don't touch those, those have blood too."

Suna smiles and Osamu offers him napkins. "I know you won't take off yer gloves, so, don't ruin them."

The smile on Suna's face only increases and he chooses to take one of the onigiris for a bite at the same time as Osamu does the same. The flavor travels through his palate and a sigh of admiration leaves his throat.

"Osamu, this is like, super good." He assures him.

"Thank you." Osamu comments, a sincere smile on his face.

Suna smiles, thinking that while Atsumu is usually the one who responds faster and louder to compliments, good words are never bad to say.

"What were ya doin’?" Osamu asks him.

"Looking at the stars." Suna replies before taking another bite of his dinner and placing his eyes on the sky. "I’m sure you liked doing it more before, without buildings and all this."

"I did, it was better." Osamu agrees, copying his actions. "With ‘tsumu we used to go to big fields before, you know, when there were no buildings and nothin’ like that, only houses that allowed ya to admire the sky in all its splendor. It was nice."

Suna lowers his eyes to him.

"You never tell me about your past lives." He comments, since although they look the same age, he is aware that Osamu has celebrated many more birthdays than him, though apparently, he never seeks to talk about them.

"Unless you ask me questions." Osamu smiles at him. "It's the same life, I prefer to focus on the present that I have in front of me right now." His gaze never leaves Suna's face. "Memories, I don’t need them."

"But it's nice to have experienced so many changes."

"It is, I guess. There are some things that I do miss."

"Like what?" Suna asks with his body facing him.

Osamu wrinkles his nose. "Beer. What is that?" He laughs. "I prefer good wine like before, I think the fields and crops were better. I drank beer before, ‘kay? But today’s beer sucks."

"Is that why you didn't go to the party like Atsumu?" Suna laughs.

Osamu tilts his head to indicate that he is right.

"The banquets were prettier before, more prepared, I think. The best part was the food." He says, and Suna keeps laughing. "If you go to a bar or a party now, you only find peanuts or fries, I used to see chocolate and cheese fountains, I miss that, I guess."

"But you like blood." Suna reminds him, since even if Osamu eats food as much as he does, what keeps him alive is the blood that he adds as an ingredient to his drinks and food.

"Still."

"Have you had the chance to dance with many princesses?"

"A few. Their dresses were uncomfortable, I stepped on them a lot of times."

They both laugh at the same time after the pronunciation of his comment.

"You are silly."

"But I haven't stepped on ya, have I?"

"I don't wear dresses."

Osamu narrows his eyes. "Smart." he says. "The dances, I miss that."

"How were they?"

It’s true that Osamu on his own almost never begins to tell him details about his past lives, but that doesn’t take away the fact that he always answers the questions he asks him about it. He believes that instead of history classes, he could listen to Osamu speak for a long time, without getting bored, without falling asleep, paying attention to him and all the words he mentions.

"Big, lots of people but there was still room, you know. There were rules, how to dance, who to talk to, how to dress, how to act. Sometimes they were boring, but you know that with ‘tsumu nothing can be boring." He says, and Suna smiles because despite all the times he hears them and sees them fight, it’s clear that Osamu counts on Atsumu in the same way that Atsumu has Osamu. "They were calm, I liked dancing. Not like now, everyone is with everyone and you don't have space to dance, it's annoying, that's why I don't like parties or clubs."

Suna laughs upon hearing him. "I know, I know what you're talking about."

He takes another bite of his onigiri, thinking that he hadn’t insisted on going to Atsumu's party either because he's not a fan of being surrounded with people. Too many people, too hot, less room to breathe. Everything indicates that it’s not a good environment for him, and for the same reason having dinner with Osamu had seemed a good idea.

"Do you want me to teach ya?"

Suna nearly chokes on the rice but manages to swallow before asking, "What?"

Osamu giggles slightly at this and chooses to leave his almost finished onigiri on the tray to then rub his hands and watch him.

"Will ya dance with me?" He asks him.

Suna opens his mouth to assure him that it's not a good idea. Even though his head has already started to show him an image of what it would be like to hold Osamu's hand to dance with him, he can't, but before he can mention it, Osamu ends his chain of thoughts.

"We don't have to touch." He temporarily lowers his gaze to his gloves. "Do you trust me?" He asks, and Suna wants to answer that yes, that he trusts him because Osamu always respects his personal space and makes sure not to make him feel uncomfortable. He doesn't trust himself. "Tempted?"

Suna thinks that yes, he is tempted.

"How can you dance without touching?"

"I thought you took yer cultural classes."

Suna narrows his eyes and Osamu smiles triumphantly.

"Come on." Osamu stands up and moves to be on one side of the balcony.

Suna looks at him and finally lets out a sigh when Osamu nods to him to get up. He leaves his onigiri on the tray and stands in front of him.

"It's not always about touching, but precisely ‘bout not doin’ it." Osamu explains without erasing inches of space between them. "It's about the eyes."

"There's no music."

"The eyes, that's the important thing."

They both stare at each other.

Suna thinks Osamu has pretty eyes. Grayish in color, often his pupils being those that speak along with his expression when words are not necessary. The color of his eyes tend to shine when his vampire instincts make an appearance in the same way that in the greenish gold of his own the orange color of the flames that he creates can be seen when he uses his powers.

"Copy me."

Osamu raises his hand between them, at the height of their shoulders, his palm facing Suna.

Suna does it too, and one centimeter separates them.

"Now we take half a turn, you come here and I go there."

Osamu moves to their left and Suna to the right, forming a semi circle until they end on each other’s sides. Osamu lowers his hand and Suna does too, but promptly raises the other when Osamu does.

"Now we turn to the other side to come back."

They move as Osamu mentions. Osamu promptly keeps both hands raised, getting Suna to do the same. "Turn with me."

Again they rotate and stay in the same place.

"Take a step back, and when you come back, face me, sideways, and we end up on the opposite side."

Both take a step back, stretching the space between them to cut it back when they both move again and meet face to face, to then finish on each other’s sides.

"You think you understand?"

Suna nods, and Osamu smiles.

"Okay, good. Now let's do it without instructions."

Suna blinks and wonders when he has lost control.

Hands are raised and his breathing is shortened. The greenish gold color of his gaze meets gray highlighted by the moon and its light. The days are cold and the nights even colder, but now, dancing in an old-fashioned way with Osamu, he feels that once again heat has embraced him. He no longer knows how to separate the moments in which his powers are those that make him feel warm from those occasions in which Osamu manages to immerse him in that state with his presence and words.

His feet move and as promised, at no time is any kind of pressure supported against his hands. With rhythm and just learned, without the need for music because it’s true that what matters are the eyes, Suna bites his lower lip, following steps until he ends up on the opposite side.

They are face to face once again, with little space between them. Suna joins his hands behind his own back as he is aware that he’s feeling warm not because he is twenty years old, but because Osamu being close to him is an alteration for the temperature of his body.

Osamu holds up an amused smile and Suna allows himself to hold one.

"Your neighbors must think we're crazy." Suna mentions without the need to raise his voice too much.

"Trust me, with ‘tsumu we've already lost any attempts at reputation a long time ago."

They both laugh one more time before breaking away and returning to their couches, this time not taking their food, choosing to keep looking at each other.

"Do you like this neighborhood?"

"Well, you know I talk with the accent, so that should assure you that I do." Osamu says. "I like Hyogo, it’s a calm region. I have had to move out lots of times, but I think I would like to stay longer this time."

"Now with phones you stay connected with everyone and everything, anyway."

Osamu frowns. "I don't understand yer obsession with that thing."

Suna laughs when he hears him but chooses to take out his phone. "You want to know something great about this thing?" He asks, and Osamu arches an eyebrow. "I know you just said you don't need memories, and I also know that you and your brother don't take photos because you don’t appear, but guess what, I've put a spell on my phone so that it can be done, and I can do the same with yours."

"Seriously?"

Suna hums. "Look." He holds his phone at him but Osamu covers it with his hand.

"No, wait, if you will take the first picture of me, let it be with ya cuz you made it possible."

Suna smiles. "Okay."

He moves to approach him and their heads are side by side. He turns the camera so they both appear and his spell proves to be effective as Osamu raises eyebrows at the first time he is able to see himself. He shakes his head to ruffle his hair and Suna smiles.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

They both smile calmly and Suna shows him the photo.

He allows Osamu to pick up his phone to see it and laughs upon seeing him so impressed with something that is completely ordinary for him. He realizes that their heads are still close, and he believes, for the first time, that if he ruins moments, then sometimes it’s okay to create them too.

He rests his head on Osamu’s shoulder and blinks slightly, thinking that if he can't take Osamu's hands, he can at least rest his head on his shoulder. He quickly feels a pressure on it and Osamu rests his head on his, still looking at the photo.

"I like it." Suna listens, and for the same reason, smiles.

He likes it too.

He likes him.

"I’m glad."

And ruined.

Suna rests his elbow on his lap as well as his hand against his mouth.

A sigh that makes its way past his lips meets the bare skin of his knuckles.

Unlike every time, instead of heading towards the barracks to wait and chat with Osamu as there’s still some time left for the weekly training to begin, he has chosen to wait, using one of the couches of the academy as a place to stay. If he’s ignoring Osamu on purpose remains beyond his knowledge. He doesn’t want to question himself and his own actions.

He does know though, that the person he likes is Osamu. He can't even wonder or pretend to be dumb since he knows it's the truth. Osamu is the reason why confusion is part of his repertoire of emotions. Blindly, waving his hand to downplay the matter —because his feelings are a matter— and laughing nonchalantly, at first he had believed that relating his range of reactions to the fact that unlike others, Osamu seeks to approach him as well as establish conversation, would be enough. But Osamu turns out to be the exception, because although Atsumu, gin, and Kosaku also choose to speak to him, Osamu is the only person who makes him smile with his anecdotes as well as roll his eyes with his flirty words.

Osamu makes him laugh with easiness, with the simple pronunciation of words as sarcastic as they are sincere. He doesn’t seek to create conversation to get words to be their company as silence has become their ally. He doesn’t question his decisions or his way of functioning, he respects the limits that he himself imposes and breaking them is not his purpose. He doesn't make him feel uncomfortable, but quite the opposite. A smile appears on his own face when Osamu stays but also when Osamu tells him how nice it feels to discover new modern details.

Suna believes that having Osamu by his side is nice, but also dangerous.

Alert is how he feels he should be, reminding himself that one simple detail can ruin everything. He considers himself dangerous, because if fire burns, then he also burns. He can hurt people, he can wound them, and Osamu being around implies a danger.

He doesn't want to hurt him, but he also doesn't want Osamu to be away from him.

Osamu's company has a price and he can only sigh.

It’s dangerous for both of them.

Osamu’s quick healing doesn’t except him from getting hurt, from having burns that sooner or later will become Suna's worst nightmares. The night before he had allowed himself to be close to him, resting his head on his shoulder, yet also wearing gloves as a constant reminder that his sentence is temptation because touching is not an option. His condemnation is knowing that he can touch, that he is free to do so, but that he himself decides to limit his own wrists with imaginary chains to avoid accidents.

Something could have gone wrong, something can always go wrong.

Osamu stops being the center of his thoughts and he pulls his hand away from his face when he feels a sudden and intense burning coming from his mouth. His brow furrows upon seeing the tips of his fingers pinker than usual, as every time he has training he chooses to use fingerless gloves. The left side of his mouth burns so he pulls out his phone to realize that by having remained distracted, or vice versa, too concentrated, he hasn’t been controlling himself and for the same reason the color provided by his fingers had activated the spell of the piercings of his mouth, hurting himself.

He picks up his backpack and goes to the bathroom, promptly letting out a sigh since a path of bruises has been created from the corner of his mouth to his jaw. He quickly searches through the things in his backpack and takes out one of the gauzes that Osamu had insisted on giving him, a blue one made of his water in case of emergency. He holds it against his skin and turns around to stay with his waist against the countertop, not really wanting to see himself in the mirror.

The crystalline gauze has managed to reduce the burning, but not its pain.

Not the consequences, not his reality.

If hurting himself is something he can't avoid, much less with someone else.

With his other hand he continues to hold his phone and chooses to unlock it, the wallpaper being the photo he had taken with Osamu the night before.

It’s only a dream, he thinks.

It’s not something real. For Osamu's sake and also for his own sake he has to give up. He is a fire witch and that will never change. His powers will only keep increasing and so his chances of hurting people.

The doorbell rings and he complains.

He doesn’t know what excuse he will give if Osamu asks him what has happened.

Perhaps he will choose to be sincere, to tell the truth, that he has burned himself so that Osamu finally understands that approaching him is not a good idea, and that he should follow the rest and ignore him.

Still with his skin certainly burning, he throws away the gauze provided by Osamu and heads towards the training site. Fortunately he sees that Osamu hasn’t arrived yet and leaves his backpack as he decides to sit in the middle of the place, taking advantage of the fact that only two people are allowed per training.

He looks at his hands, he stares at the red color of his nails. Tending to choose the same color is an unconscious decision, while turning his head to the other side when a shadow is cast on him is intentional.

"Hey, I was waitin’ for ya." He listens to Osamu say.

"Sorry."

Suna's shoulders stiffen when Osamu chooses to kneel beside him.

Feeling rigid is not how he wants to feel when other emotions are those to characterize him when he is with Osamu. Relaxed, comfortable. But those same sensations are the ones that lead him to be dangerous, to become distracted or overthink, to burn himself because his emotions are intense, and feelings burn by themselves.

"All good?" Osamu asks, and Suna only raises the corner of his mouth in response. "Whatcha got there?" He tries to touch his face so that Suna allows him to see the other side of his face, but Suna turns his head even more to stop him, not letting Osamu touch him. "Has someone been bothering ya?" Osamu asks, but Suna doesn't answer. "Suna?"

"Don’t worry."

"I am worried."

"Don't do it, just—"

"Leave ya alone? That’s what you were gonna say?" Suna lets out a sigh at the frustration of Osamu’s words. "I thought it was okay... yesterday, and now you almost ask me to leave you alone. Perhaps I did or said somethin' that bothered ya? Can you tell me so I won't do it again?"

Suna feels his own frustration growing.

Osamu blames himself when in reality he is the only one to blame.

He's hurting Osamu and he doesn't even need his powers.

"I don't want to—you, me. Just stay away from me, it's better for you."

"What do you mean by that? Really, tell me if I've done or said something."

"I can hurt you, Osamu!" Suna exclaims as he turns his head to look at him, Osamu's eyes dropping to the trail of bruises that decorate his face to then look back at him. "Don't you realize that I can hurt you? You don't have to do anything or say something to bother me because I've done this to myself. I'm the one to blame here, always have been, always will be." He points to himself. "It's dangerous for you to be near me, so yes, stay away from me—"

"Yes, of course you can hurt me." Osamu interrupts him, seriousness characterizing his look. "You hurt me by tryin’ to ignore me and behavin’ like this, as you usually do, as if you are some kind of monster when you are not, somethin’, someone I can’t approach. You hurt me for this, not cuz you can burn me." They keep looking at each other. "You can burn people, I can drown them." He places the palm of his hand on his own chest. "My brother can take the air out of them, and Gin can suffocate them."

Suna believes that perhaps he is right, perhaps everyone is capable of actions that don’t bring good consequences, but people only distance themselves from him. When you think of earth, a colorful flower made of soft petals appears in your mind. When you think of air, dreams are made of tender clouds and a light-blue sky. When you think of water, the image of the most fascinating waterfall appears in your head. When you think of fire, you only see pain and suffering.

"You talk nonsense."

"Nonsense." Osamu repeats, not believing him.

He looks at him, but Suna chooses to stop corresponding to his gaze, though he promptly follows him with his eyes once Osamu gets up, finally thinking that he has chosen to listen to him, but Suna frowns and then arches an eyebrow, confused when he sees Osamu spilling the water from the vessels around them. Close to Suna but not that far either, he stands in front of him. He pours out all the water that is left and then throws the vessels away.

He spreads his arms and sticks out his chest, a serious and bitter expression takes over his face.

"Hurt me."

"What?"

"Hurt me." Osamu repeats.

"Are you crazy? I won’t do it."

"Okay, I'll hurt ya then, because I can hurt you too."

Osamu raises one of his palms towards the ground and water levitates towards him. He freezes the water to give it a disk shape and stretches one of his arms towards him, the disk ending up stuck in the ground just a few inches away from Suna.

Suna looks at it and then at Osamu.

"Osamu."

"I'm showing ya we are all equally dangerous here. Still haven't gotten it?"

Upon only receiving a frown from Suna, Osamu performs the same action with his other hand, and the second disk made up of frozen water ends up even closer to Suna.

"Osamu." Suna repeats.

Osamu raises both arms and this time several discs of water point at him. He throws them at him but none manages to hurt Suna as he traces an imaginary semicircle with his arms and orange lines are created to form a circular shield of fire that melts the discs.

Suna lowers his arms and the shield dissolves as he gets up.

"I'm not playing!"

"I just showed ya that you can protect with fire. I'm not playing either!"

They carry the same frustration, the same anger.

Osamu because Suna wants to get rid of him while Suna because Osamu wants to keep getting closer.

Without taking his eyes off him, Suna takes a deep breath as he unbuttons his gloves and chooses to remove them, not remembering the last time he used his spells in such a way. Taking his workouts lightly is what he tends to do, trying to use his powers as little as possible, and even much less when his age changes because it means lacking control.

He drops them on the floor.

"Yeah! Take 'em off, you don't even need them."

Suna gets angry upon hearing him. "You're pissing me off."

"Surprise, the feeling is mutual."

Osamu moves his hands to aim a big square of water at him, but Suna again creates a larger and bigger circle of fire to defend himself against it.

"You are not attackin’, you are only protectin' yerself."

"I don’t want to hurt you!"

Suna keeps getting frustrated. He doesn’t understand why Osamu can’t leave him alone and focus on himself instead of provoking him, why he doesn’t accept his words, why he insists.

"Don't you realize that you also protect?" Osamu asks him. "When you are cold, you light up a fireplace. When you want marshmallows and eat, you need fire. You need fire as much as water to survive, and that's why all four elements are just as important. It’s a constant balance."

Suna is aware of his statement, but the voice inside his head that always repeats to him that he can hurt people, set the tallest buildings on fire and bring down the most complex constructions, is the one that tends to win, to prevail.

"Suna, I'm a vampire, didya forget that?"

"People don't walk away from you, they walk away from me."

"Cuz they're stupid. Do you think people love me, Suna? I have fangs." He reminds him, allowing his gums to be pierced with the sharp teeth that characterize his species as evidence of his words. "I drink blood."

"And I have to wear gloves because otherwise I would hurt people."

"No, you wear gloves cuz you want to. I hafta drink blood to survive and my fangs appear even if I don't want to when I'm hungry, you don't hafta burn people to survive. You know what I think? I think we are made for each other and you don't want to accept it."

Suna frowns.

"Don’t say that."

"Why? Because you know it's the truth? When it rains, what you want is a cup of hot chocolate. A refreshing drink is what people want when it’s summer. Even ya, after yer birthday you always want cold drinks. Even me. I need ya, even if I feel cold, even if I'm cold. My skin, frozen and made of porcelain. It’s a balance!"

Osamu moves his arms and a stream of water attacks Suna, but Suna again forges a fire shield and takes a step back when the water turns out to be too much. Osamu applies more pressure but Suna does too.

"You don't understand that I can burn you!" Suna expresses, trying to cease the use of his powers but having to apply more force when Osamu keeps insisting.

"I do understand Suna, but neither ya nor yer spells scare me!"

Suna moves the shield to deflect the water to the side, but is again forced to hold two shields with both hands when Osamu begins to advance towards him with his arms extended and the palms of his hands raised so that water keeps heading towards him.

The gray of Osamu's eyes glows and the greenish color of Suna's gaze is illuminated by the heat of the flames that he himself has produced.

"Don't forget that I'm much older than ya." Suna needs to leave one of his legs behind the other when Osamu applies more pressure. "More experienced than ya." Suna brings the two shields together to form a larger, more solid one made of thicker lines, but all it takes is for Osamu to close his hands so that Suna’s shields turn into debris.

He needs to kneel so as not to lose his full balance and Osamu takes advantage of his moment of weakness to use more water and move his arms to create a water sphere around him and keep him trapped.

Accustomed to reserving the capabilities of his spells, and starting to feel a sense of strangeness after having allowed part of his powers to be released, Suna lies down. Osamu transforms the water into ice for stronger resistance and Suna's breath turns into icy air.

"And stronger than ya." Osamu finishes saying.

Despite seeing Suna lying on the ground as he lost his strength, Osamu forms a line with his lips and lowers his arms instead of helping him. He knows what Suna is capable of. He doesn’t fear him, he doesn’t think he is dangerous, he trusts that Suna is powerful and will understand that he shouldn’t fear himself.

Suna blinks, gasping for breath. A thick layer of ice turns the colors around him into different shades of blue. He believes that it’s true that Osamu is more experienced in the same way that he knows that Osamu is smart enough as for both it’s evident that every time they train, he doesn’t give everything of himself. But the reality is, for better or for worse, that he knows what he’s capable of.

He brings one of his hands to the sphere that still remains on his chest, always hanging from a thin chain around his neck. The flame that will never die and will always live, pierces the crystal and assures him that no matter the situation, he will always have his own source of fire that will allow him to rise up one more time.

A long, deep breath shows him that the ice is beginning to weaken him. Knowing that Osamu is on the other side of the ice sphere, as his pupils resemble two rings of fire and the excess of his abilities burns the path of bruises near his lip, he manages to whisper, "And don't you forget, that I am hell itself."

With fire covering his fingers, as soon as his hand makes contact with the ground, orange lines are born from the tips of his fingers to promptly meet the sphere of ice that keeps him trapped. They trace pathless patterns, slide over the frozen structure to break the ice layer. Cracking, crumbling, falling apart, the red lines of fire turn the sphere into small pieces around him.

Osamu sees his creation shatter and Suna leans on his elbows to make himself sit up. His body is no longer accompanied by a slight tremor, and with a blush on his cheeks as a result of his actions, he doesn’t seek to get away when Osamu approaches him to kneel beside him.

They stare at each other, their chests rising and falling and chunks of melted ice around them. Suna’s fingertips are characterized with the same pinkish color of his cheeks while Osamu’s seem to have been covered with small snowflakes.

"I’m sorry." Osamu expresses, taking a look at the wound on Suna’s face.

"You are not."

Suna looks at his hands, now trapped between them, being aware of how close they are to each other.

Osamu acknowledges how he sees his hands and rests his eyes on him. "I can take ya." He reminds him, just as Suna had just said, not sorry for having weakened him, but frustrated because Suna trying to stay away from him hasn't been to his liking. "Everything ‘bout ya. All of ya."

Suna allows their gazes to meet. "Why do you even care?"

He doesn't understand why. He doesn’t understand Osamu's insistence. The reason he tries to show him that he can deal with him, and that above all, he wants to deal with him. Why he looks at him the way he does, why he keeps him trapped, not allowing him to escape from him, either with ice, water, or his own person.

"It can get tedious and boring." Osamu begins to explain why he considers himself the prey of his own features. "Despite all the changes I face and places I visit, knowing that I have no end can become a burden. But you make being alive worth it, you make me feel alive."

"You only want my blood." Suna says just because, knowing it's not true.

After listening to him, Osamu makes sure to retract his fangs.

"I don't want yer blood. I want ya, everything about ya, and I know that you want everythin’ about me, all of me too cuz I can hear yer heart."

Suna swallows with nervousness at the sure pronunciation of Osamu's words.

He is scared.

"You said you trust me, didn'tcha?" Osamu asks.

"I trust you." Suna assures him. "I don't trust myself."

He believes that perhaps he has been confused by thinking that Osamu respects his limits. Osamu seeks to break them, to destroy them and establish himself by his side no matter what consequences those decisions and actions may bring.

"Don't hold back with me. Do what you want with me. I will win."

The pronunciation of those words and the bright grayish hue of Osamu's eyes make him consider his words. His hands get him into trouble, bring him images he doesn't want to imagine and assure him that one simple touch can be the end of everything.

His eyes roam Osamu's face, bright eyes and pink lips. Soft cheeks, he thinks.

He continues to force himself to keep his hands between them, now close to his chest, though they remain completely close to Osamu's body. Osamu keeps looking at him and doesn’t move when Suna slides his eyes to his cheek.

Closing his eyes because fear is part of him, Suna undoes some of the centimeters between them to leave his lips on Osamu's cheek. He pulls apart quickly, promptly wincing at the pink impression of his lips on Osamu’s cheek. It had only been a short second, but that time had been enough for Osamu to blink as he felt a slight burning coming from that part of his face.

"I've already hurt you."

Osamu snorts. "And I have already healed." Suna rests his eyes on his cheek to realize it's true, that just as if it had never happened, Osamu's cheek is no longer interrupted by the impression of his lips. "You're overthinking it. Just do it."

More than quick kisses, Suna wants to move his hands. He wants to take Osamu’s hand, feel the softness of his skin beneath his fingertips; to be able to perform everyday actions such as caressing. What are daily actions or intimate gestures for others, such as leaving a hand on a shoulder, accepting a hand to get up, or simply high-fives, are contact demonstrations that he has become used to dreaming about.

However, the reality is that he no longer feels that his head weighs on him after the exchange they have committed with the help of their powers. He knows that despite his actions, training in the right way is what his body and mind need to get his system used to the new inquiry of powers, as choosing to let all of his abilities remain within him only gives him headaches and fever. Breaking free is what he needs to do.

Suna takes a short breath of air. He stops holding one of his hands in the middle to move it slowly, carefully, Osamu assuring him that he is not scared by looking at him, his gaze being the courage he needs. He moves his hand until it remains a millimeter away from Osamu's hair.

He has always wanted to know what sensations running his fingers through his black locks could give him, much more since Osamu has stopped dyeing his hair to match the color of his eyes. Suna swallows with difficulty but Osamu gives him a short smile.

Osamu trusts him. He trusts him as much as he trusts Osamu.

Finally, Suna touches Osamu’s hair.

Nothing happens. He caresses his locks, and again, nothing happens.

Suna ventures to bring his hand closer and lets out a sigh of relief when Osamu's locks turn out to be soft, smooth to the touch. He runs his hand over his head, and promptly strokes his head with his hand, not really believing he's carrying out that action; that despite seeming simple and common, for him it’s much more. It’s more than a first step.

"I like that." Osamu assures him.

Suna strokes his hair but his eyes quickly slide to his skin.

Osamu looking at him, with a calm smile on his face because he knows that Suna wants more, indicates that he will be satisfied with any type of decision Suna makes.

Suna bites his lower lip, wondering why if all that time he has never been afraid of Osamu biting him with his fangs, then he has allowed himself to think that Osamu is afraid of him. He begins to lower his hand, always with his gaze on Osamu because trust is what is between them. His thumb is the first to touch Osamu's skin and soon his hand is holding the surface that his lips had previously kissed. Suna exhales a breath of air and no sign of suffering appears. Finally he can confirm that Osamu's skin is delicate under his touch, cold as his hands always are.

Osamu leans into the contact, and Suna holds up a smile though he promptly closes his eyes and stays serious when Osamu moves his head to hide his face between his neck and his shoulder, and moves his hand to rest it on his.

The stiffness that takes hold of Suna is promptly replaced by the rapidity of his pulse as Osamu intertwines their fingers together, both of them finally allowing themselves to focus on knowing what it feels, how it feels to turn fire and water into allies.

"Touch me." Osamu's whispered words find his skin just as Suna's breath meets Osamu's cheek.

Osamu takes the intertwining of his fingers and his hand over Suna's to move them from his cheek to his jaw, to his neck, to his clavicle, Osamu's necklace with its ring being a familiar surface. Suna brushes his body slowly, taking each new inch of skin as a new world to discover, to touch, to admire.

"Feel me."

Osamu leads their hands towards his own heart, and despite keeping his eyes closed to allow the sensations to take over him, a tear slides down Suna’s cheek as he feels Osamu's heartbeat against the palm of his hand, its rhythm assuring him that Osamu is alive, that despite being immortal, Osamu feels, feels for him.

Immortal or not, fire or water, both have chosen to give themselves to each other, to devote themselves in order to suffer, to experience, and to bear all kinds of consequences in order to allow closeness to become a familiar concept rather than a curse.

Osamu straightens up and Suna opens his eyes. Their hands stay on Osamu's heart and Osamu wraps his arm around Suna’s waist just as Suna moves his free hand to place it on Osamu's cheek, moving his thumb to caress him because he has understood that touching is not what he should fear, but not having the real possibility of doing so.

They look at each other.

"Let us burn." Osamu pleads.

The boundaries have been broken and once again they are destroyed when Osamu looks at him, and moves to rest his lips on his.

Osamu's request is accepted as they burn by allowing love to consume them.

Love burns, feelings get cheeks to be decorated with a pink hue, emotions turn breathing and thinking clearly into a difficulty in the same way that fire leaves no chance to escape. Heat envelops them and living flames are not needed to burn them. Fire and love don't wait, don't behave. They show no mercy, no forgiveness. They destroy as they grow, creating scars, leaving wounds. Shouted prayers are turned into silent exclamations, they shatter dreams yet create hope in the form of candles amid darkness.

Fire and love are a threat. They make you feel alive, they give you warmth. They are considered a blessing, but also a misery. They are the worst nightmare and the most peaceful dream. Suna trusts that Osamu won’t use his fangs against him just as Osamu trusts that Suna won’t harm him. Staying together, close to each other is a risk as water and fire are mutually destructive, but no one thinks of pain when red, orange and yellow come together to present the most beautiful sunrises and the calmest sunsets with water acting as a mirror for the sun. Suna proving that even fire witches can cry shows that love, that loving is intense.

A look is what they share before Suna is the one who moves so that their lips touch again, for longer and with confidence and security, knowing that Suna’s spells are not those to make them burn, but themselves and the feelings they have for each other, the way they crave each other.

"You don't taste like blood." Suna whispers.

Osamu gives Suna's hand a light squeeze. "My heart does burn for ya."

A small chuckle makes its way past Suna’s lips and Osamu touches the tip of his nose with his.

"Your flirting doesn't work."

"Then I must kiss ya over and over again."

The tonality of Osamu’s eyes is once again characterized by the gray color that Suna considers familiar while Suna's pupils return to hold its characteristic greenish golden color. Looking at each other has never been a limit.

"Are you really not scared?"

"Sometimes my immortality can be both a curse and a blessing. This time it's a blessing. I will heal, again and again if I must, and you will only hurt me, and I will only consider my immortality a curse again, if you stop wanting me."

Suna bites his lower lip upon listening to him but performing that action makes him complain because his lower lip is still hurt. Osamu stops surrounding his waist to bring his hand to his face and contours his lower lip with his thumb, quickly getting the annoyance to stop accompanying Suna, since just as he had asked him to take a gauze with him in case of exceeding his own powers, now worrying is not an option because healing Suna with the help of his own powers and hands is something he can do.

They look at each other.

Suna understands, and is aware, that he still has a long way to go with himself and the powers that he will continue to acquire as he grows older. He knows that it’s not easy and that there are still obstacles to face, stones to stumble over, and moments to overcome; but he has also learned that he shouldn’t be afraid and that trying to keep his emotions as well as his powers within himself will only bring bad consequences. What he needs is to express what he feels, to let himself fall, to let himself burn. Not with nerves, but with confidence.

With his hand still on Osamu's heart and their mouths a millimeter apart, Suna holds up a smile.

"I trust you." He expresses.

Osamu can only copy his gesture of happiness.

"I know. I trust ya too."