#yohawk | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cebwrites · 3 years ago

Text

we’re only getting older, baby

a/n: finally some good kirei food in this house, it’s what recchan deserves 😤💖

oc x oc | slight canon x oc (YoHawk) suggestive but nothing explicit shown word count: 2.2k

Wooden sandals clicked quietly against the floorboards, drowned out by the loud hooting and cheering from pirates all around - Reiji hesitantly leaned closer into the circle that had formed on the main deck, one of the adults made way so he could squeeze his way in with a sheepish ‘thank you’ - his accent still felt far too out of place. It had barely been a year since his feet last walked on samurai soil, the learning curve was expected but no less frustrating. They had to be in hiding, after all, erasing every part of his former self in order to simply survive.

Reiji focused his attention to the movement before him before his thoughts could fray any further. Fastidious limbs moved in a flurry of kicks, sweeps, and blocks. The opponents facing off against one another looked no older than he was.

Bright blue eyes drifted to the figure in black - stark white hair pulled into a loose ponytail, some manner of paint adored their face, too. They were small but their moments quick, somehow always one step ahead of the boy opposing them; in that very instant, he was enthralled.

Although Reiji had seen people of his country spar without weapons before, it was never like this.

「 They were amazing. 」

In the following months, Reiji had come to learn that the strange kid’s name was Kirin, only one year his junior. Even as they interacted more, he’d also noticed that Kirin was awfully quiet, rarely initiating conversations with him. The only times that he would get talkative was around Hani and Izzy, two older boys who were discovered as stowaways on this crew’s former ship with Kirin.

It wasn’t bad, there was a companiable silence that came with spending time alone in their presence. Though he still wanted to learn more about them, and Reiji found himself yearning for the companionship that the three of them shared. Their bonds would strengthen in due time, with Kirin allowing Reiji small peeks into his personal space whenever they felt appropriate, even referring to him as ‘Recchan’ from a certain point and so on. Reiji was grateful for being accepted, even more so see new sides to his new companion that he wouldn’t dream of asking for prior.

With close friendship, however, came close contact. This is where the trouble began.

Reiji couldn’t pinpoint when exactly in his mind that he’d stopped, or started, for that matter, seeing Kirin as a friend and as someone he wanted to be with. They always seemed so out of reach, so far ahead of him in terms of strength and social status with their peers.

Even so, Reiji still found himself longing for the comfortable silence that accompanied their alone time together, lighting up internally whenever their hands or shoulders met for whatever casual platonic interaction they’d have, that, in Reiji’s defense, also did with other friends, but no one ever made his heart skip a beat when their skin brushed against him like Kirin.

Whenever he thought of them, he thought of what life would look like at their side, not constantly playing catchup, but ideally keeping up with them as an equal. And, well, made Reiji did have a small inkling of when ties of friendship were dyed red with something... different.

「 Not realizing how far I’d fallen. 」

”You cut your hair?“

“Yeah, guys usually keep it short, right?”

Caught up in the whirlwind of feelings brewing deep in his chest, Reiji fails to mention how that’s patently false, or at least not entirely true, at least where the culture he grew up in was concerned. Men their hair proudly bound in topknots roamed the streets of the Flower Capitol long before Kaido’s tyranny was set upon them, a young Reiji even saw various hair lengths from the Beast Pirates that would come to suppress them.

All of that wasn’t important in the moment, hair was benign. What Reiji’s brain did focus on was a single term.

Guys.

All throughout his childhood, Reiji had never taken an interest in girls. He’d befriend daughters of fellow clansmen and play with them but whenever the topic of choosing a spouse came up at an uncomfortably young age, even in jest, Reiji always found himself drawing a blank as to whoever he’d want to build a life with, as older members would put it.

He’d always point to the friend he was closest with because it seemed to get the adults off his back, but wouldn’t understand why those friends he chose would get so weird with him afterwards with her cheeks tinted pink, some others even becoming upset with his choices. It wouldn’t be until years later when he met Akizuki, that everything slowly began to clear up.

Still, Reiji never talked about any of this.

When they’d first met, there was no indication of what Kirin’s gender was - everything about him sent mixed signals. The only thing Reiji could pick up on, was a subtle upset, as if hidden on purpose, whenever Kirin was associated with anything feminine. So he avoided that too, like any decent friend. It wasn’t information that implied maleness, though, and to Reiji’s teenage brain that had only been attracted to boy up until now, was a complete wrench in the works.

This, however, was explicit confirmation.

Kirin turns to leave, expression unreadable, the few seconds it takes for Reiji to process it all drag on a little too long for comfort, it seems, but the young man recovers quickly - he reaches to grab Kirin’s arm yet thinks against it at the last second for fear of being too aggressive, “Wait!”

He stops, one hand on the doorknob.

“Um, now that you have the desired ‘look’, would you like to perhaps do some guy- things.. with me?”

Reiji wishes the ground would open up to swallow him whole, Kirin stares at him like he’s an idiot for - One. Two.

Five full seconds before the laughter takes over and he has to lean against his dresser for support. There are visible tears in his eyes. Reiji prays that Narukami would personally strike him down so he wouldn’t have to die from shame instead. Reiji can’t do much else as he watches the apple of his eye slowly fizzle into quieter giggles - he doesn’t have a choice since Kirin’s blocking the door - the skies are ruefully clear, too.

“You’re hopeless, Recchan,” Kirin says between titters, Reiji prepares to excuse himself but once again misses his chance, “but cute, so I’ll allow it.”

The smile he’s given makes the humiliation disappear almost entirely, replaced by a kaleidoscope of butterflies stirring in his chest. Reiji is hesitant to open his mouth in fear of them escaping, so he responds to Kirin’s gesture with a small nod, ears tinted bright red.

「 I never had a chance. 」

Reiji’s head swims, the one thing that anchors him to the here and now is Kirin’s hand against the back of his neck, his own on the latter’s thigh. They pull away from each other, breathless, still linked to one another with a fine line of spittle between them.

“You.. you always kiss so dirty, Kir.”

“M’yeah? Is that praise or a complaint?”

Reiji huffs, avoiding direct eye contact for the moment while he catches his breath - Kirin only laughs as he leans back on one arm, taking a swig from a wine bottle he’d snagged at some point with the other. They enjoy the silence that settles, allowing heartbeats to slow and a chance for blood to flow away from Reiji’s ears. Kirin’s met with a raspberry when he points this out; they snog a little more.

Even the stars above, giant balls of gas millions upon billions of years away, pale in comparison to the light they illuminate in each other’s presences.

“Do you really have to leave tomorrow?”

Kirin looks up from where his head lays in Reiji’s lap, opting to stare out to the sea from the balcony they’re occupying instead.

“Yeah, ah ma said she’ll be here to pick me up in the morning. She’s rarely lenient about those kinds of things. On the bright side, though,” He turns back to him with a big ol’ smile.

“You’ll probably- no, definitely be a big-time swordsman by the time I get back, you won’t even have to worry about someone like me! You’re training under Mihawk, Recchan, the best!”

Kirin’s never seen a sadder shade of blue in anyone’s eyes before.

“Sorry, just looking for a silver lining,” Kirin sits up again, this time resting his head on the older boy’s shoulder. Reiji’s hand is automatically a comforting weight on his thigh. “This- all of it doesn’t quiet feel real, you know? I don’t wanna be away from you for so long. Or everyone else.”

“You’ll have Hani, though, you'll be the lives of the party on that island.”

“And you’ll have Captain and Mio-chan. Be a good big brother to her, mkay?”

It’s said it jest, but Reiji catches the faint twang of genuine emotion that this statement from him of all people carries - he hums, softly threading his fingers through Kirin’s short hair, the buzzed bits are a pleasant, tickly texture. If they could stay forever like this, crystalized in a moment of such tender vulnerability, neither would complain.

“Recchan,”

“Hm?”

“Since it’s our last night together - and it will be for a while, I-- could... we do it?”

Reiji’s brain shorts a fuse for a second or two as the words sink in, it’s only when Kirin unclenches a fist from his pocket to show a - crumpled, but still good - condom that it really dawns on him what exactly is being asked. All too suddenly, he feels cotton-mouthed and lightheaded from blood rushing to two places at once. His ears, and, well.

“If.. if you’ll have me, Kir. Of course.”

Face still buried in Reiji’s shoulder, positively glowing with heat, Kirin nods.

「 You were everything I’d dreamed of. 」

Morning greets the tangle of sheets and limbs occupying one of the many rooms in Mihawk’s castle with harsh rays of light streaming in through large windows barren of any kind of covering. You’d think a “vampire” would invest a little more in blackout curtains, even if this was just a free room that would become Reiji’s lodging for the next few years.

Thoughts of a similar vein swirl in Kirin’s head as he reluctantly hauls himself into a sitting position. He’d much rather spend another few hours avoiding the sun by hiding under the blankets, but knowing Ine, having them ripped off while Kirin and Reiji were in no state to be seen was a lot less appealing. Gently, he shakes the latter’s shoulders,

”Recchan, I’m gonna go get dressed. She’ll be here soon.” ”Will I still see you out?”

There’s something so forlorn in his tone that tugs on his heart strings, every shift to the edge of the bed feels like concrete. Kirin still manages a kiss on his cheek, lips, and forehead, though,

“Yeah, I’ll make sure of it.”

Breakfast is surprisingly domestic with the world’s greatest swordsman, a fearsome warlord at that, too. Kirin stumbles into the dining hall to see Reiji waving at him in his pjs - Mihawk bounces his sleeping daughter in one arm and puts down another plate of sausage, eggs, and potatoes down with the other - his own breakfast consists of a cup of coffee and toast.

The man looks only mildly haggard from the wonders of new parenthood but otherwise doesn’t act too differently from what Kirin’s gleamed. Reiji’s allowed to interact more candidly with the older man from whatever sense of comfort he’s built; Kirin still feels a little awkward. They all have a small laugh about Bone King’s snoring being heard especially through echoey halls, but the boys quickly quiet down once they remember last night’s activities.

Mihawk only looks vaguely smug behind his newspaper but it’s honestly hard to say with how little that man emotes. After breakfast Reiji does the dishes and Kirin keeps Mion entertained with a rattle and teething ring on the floor, Mihawk is just relieved to be able to stretch for a bit before he sits down to ponderfully stare out of one of those huge windows again, pretending like he isn’t watching his daughter in the cover of his eye.

Yoki drags himself out of bed in time to play with their kids and see Kirin off when Ine’s boat pulls up to the dock, a sleepy Hani in tow.

The captain’s goodbye to his boys is as mechanical as ever, uncomfortable around showing strong, tender emotions, but they hug him anyway. Regardless of whether Yoki’s stiff as cardboard, they know that he still cares for them. Mihawk only nods, waving baby Mion’s little hand in a surprisingly sweet gesture. Kirin and Reiji are allowed a moment alone together while the adults talk, whatever they needed to say had already been screamed the night before so they - they take this as an opportunity for a hug, a long one. They only part when Ine barks across the beach that she’ll leave whether Kirin’s on the boat or not.

They laugh, making time for one last kiss, a squeeze, before Kirin’s dashing across the rocks to catch his ride off Kuraigana.

「 Wait for me, my home. 」

♡ ♡ ♡

#cebwrites #one piece #one piece imagine #one piece oc #op oc #op ocs #op kirin #op reiji #op yoki #kirei #yohawk #oc x oc ship #oc x oc #mihawk x oc

1 note · View note