Wolf's Rain (Tsume/Toboe)
Jul. 4th, 2007 07:07 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
devikun.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
kinkfestTitle: Necessary Evils
words: 1300
rating: PG
prompt: #86. Wolf's Rain, Tsume/Toboe: Submission/domination - "This'll only hurt for a second"
Notes: Well, I didn't really get serious on the submission/domination part (sorry, requester!), but hopefully I managed to stay in character. I enjoyed writing them though; I have warm, happy memories of Wolf's Rain. What a beautiful series...
"N-no, I'm fine! Really. See? Look!"
Tsume didn't look, and he could tell from the quick breath that the pup took that he was anything but fine, but he found a grudging - very grudging - respect for the way that Toboe was almost not limping by the time he reached him. Whatever he had done - and when he'd heard the brat crashing through the undergrowth earlier he probably should have gone to investigate so it was probably his own fool fault anyway - it was getting worse, not better, but the kid certainly was stubborn sometimes.
"Stop trying to put up a brave front," Tsume told him impatiently. "You're lagging behind. Sit down and let me have a look."
Toboe frowned at him a moment; not quite a glare but as close as the pup came to one. "But we're hunting," he half-whined. "Don't we need to be back soon? It's getting late and we haven't caught anything. I'll be okay. We can keep going."
Tsume had no troubles himself with affecting a glare. They hadn't caught anything because Toboe pounced on everything that moved, and three quarters of the time it was a lizard, or a finch; big enough to fill a mouth, but not four stomachs. Tsume didn't even know why he had agreed to this anyway; Hige was a better hunter by far, but somehow Tsume had still managed to get roped with the baby-sitting duties.
"Sit, I said!" he barked, and Toboe abruptly sat, blinking like he'd been surprised into it. Tsume sighed at the sight of that expression. Why was it every time he said a harsh word in the kid's direction, he was the one who felt like the heel?
"I'm-" Toboe began, but Tsume already knew what he was going to say.
"Save it for Hige when we get back without a kill," he told him, and crouched down to take a look at Toboe's back paw. It didn't look right; a decent size bruise with a small puncture at the centre made the flesh red and tight. Tsume grunted, and bent down to lick at the wound, and it tasted just a little sour. "Hold still," he ordered when Toboe wriggled, and spat whatever it was aside just in case.
"Maybe you can go back ahead without me, Tsume," Toboe offered, but when Tsume looked at him his eyes were wide, showing the whites. "I'll be alright if I wait for you here, and then you can bring Kiba and Hige."
"You won't be alright," Tsume grumbled, and it was only half that he knew exactly the kinds of looks he'd get from the other two if he went ahead and did something like that. "Besides, what could they do?"
"I nearly got that hare," Toboe said, with a funny laugh that Tsume decided he didn't actually like to hear. "He was pretty fast though..."
"Well, you just have to be faster."
"I can be! I know I can! You don't believe me!"
Tsume glanced away from Toboe's hot, desperate look. He just tried too hard. He was still a pup, and sometimes no better than a dog, and he expected too much out of himself. But he was also brave, Tsume was starting to see, in ways Tsume had never thought about brave before. Still, no one was doing the pup any favours by mothering him. If he wanted to survive, he had to learn to be tougher, inside and out.
"Are you challenging me, pup?" he asked cooly.
Toboe went white at that, but somehow it didn't put out his fire. "Of course not! N- Not like that! Besides, you're not the Alpha; Kiba is!"
As soon as he said it, he went whiter still, eyes wide as his paw came up to cover his muzzle like he could somehow stop the words now they were out. Tsume frowned.
"Don't look like that," he grumbled finally, and took a hold of Toboe's injured foot again. Fact was fact, after all; Kiba was the one with the vision. "I'm not going to bite you."
However, they couldn't hunt on this leg. If Tsume could lick most of whatever was in there out, maybe they could make it back to the others at least. He lifted the pup's foot and bent his head and Toboe tensed, then flinched on the first lick of his tongue. Tsume ignored him, ignored the disapproving voice in his head that said the pup always flinched from him, and yet kept hanging around no matter how many times Tsume barked at him, and there was a reason for that, but Tsume refused to acknowledge it. He kept firm hold of the paw, and dragged his tongue slowly over the wound, again and again, changing the angle each time, until Toboe's leg was trembling, and he was whining.
"Tsume, Tsume..." Toboe panted, and it sounded uncomfortably like begging. "Stop! Please, stop! I'm okay! Tsume!"
"Shut up," Tsume growled, starting to lose patience. He could feel something odd, something small and sharp inside the cut that shouldn't have been there. "You've got something stuck in here," he muttered. "Hold still. This'll probably hurt."
Tsume bared his lips and then started working at the thorn with careful teeth. Above him, Toboe whined a little more loudly, but he didn't move. Tsume worked deeper, as delicately as he could. He almost had it, almost...
The thorn came free in his teeth, a nasty little needle of something that Tsume just hoped wasn't poisonous. He turned aside again and spat.
"Tsume," Toboe said on what sounded like a sob.
"Shh," Tsume told him, gently this time, and turned back to the job of cleaning the wound. "It's okay now, see? Soon it won't even-"
One minute Toboe was there, the next he was practically in Tsume's arms, his head against at his chest, and his whole body was trembling. Surprised for only a second, Tsume frowned again and put his arms around the pup, and allowed himself the luxury for the moment of nuzzling in his hair.
"That must have really hurt," he breathed, with Toboe's wet nose was against his throat. "But you were very brave. Good pup." And he meant it. He supposed Toboe would make a fine wolf one day, when he was older and stronger. One day he probably wouldn't need him any more. The realisation caused something odd to ache deep in Tsume's chest.
"I tried," Toboe sniffled. "Was I? I tried really hard." He lifted his head to gaze tearfully, hopefully at him again, and this time Tsume gave him what he hoped was a smile; he owed the pup that at least.
"I know," he said. "You were. Now-"
Toboe leaned up and licked his mouth.
Tsume froze, staring down, and Toboe leaned up and lapped at him a second time. Tsume could feel his breath coming short against his lips.
"Toboe..." Tsume started, almost shocked, but somehow he'd known, hadn't he. And wasn't this what he'd been trying to avoid all along? Maybe the pup didn't understand...
"I like you, Tsume," the pup said in a small, quiet voice, but for a second, he looked as brave as determined as the White Wolf sometimes did. "Is it okay?"
Was it okay? What was Tsume supposed to say to that? But then again, looking down into the hopeful, open face and seeing both the pup Toboe was and the wolf he might one day become, perhaps the question should have been what couldn't he say to it? Toboe might seem like he depended on them, and on Tsume in particular, but somehow, Tsume realised, he was coming to depend on Toboe too. All of them were.
"And what would you do if it wasn't?" he demanded, but there was no bite in his tone, because no matter what he said, Toboe had obviously already made up his mind. Stubborn pup. "Now get off me, and let's go."
"Okay, Tsume!" Toboe agreed, beaming at him with a blush across his cheeks Tsume almost groaned to see. "Hey, maybe we can catch something on the way back!"
Tsume sighed and got himself to his feet. "Yeah, maybe."
It would have to be pretty slow prey though, and possibly as deaf as a post, but then again, watching Toboe limp cheerfully off in the right direction for a change with a faint smile on his face, Tsume realised; stranger things had been known to happen.
words: 1300
rating: PG
prompt: #86. Wolf's Rain, Tsume/Toboe: Submission/domination - "This'll only hurt for a second"
Notes: Well, I didn't really get serious on the submission/domination part (sorry, requester!), but hopefully I managed to stay in character. I enjoyed writing them though; I have warm, happy memories of Wolf's Rain. What a beautiful series...
"N-no, I'm fine! Really. See? Look!"
Tsume didn't look, and he could tell from the quick breath that the pup took that he was anything but fine, but he found a grudging - very grudging - respect for the way that Toboe was almost not limping by the time he reached him. Whatever he had done - and when he'd heard the brat crashing through the undergrowth earlier he probably should have gone to investigate so it was probably his own fool fault anyway - it was getting worse, not better, but the kid certainly was stubborn sometimes.
"Stop trying to put up a brave front," Tsume told him impatiently. "You're lagging behind. Sit down and let me have a look."
Toboe frowned at him a moment; not quite a glare but as close as the pup came to one. "But we're hunting," he half-whined. "Don't we need to be back soon? It's getting late and we haven't caught anything. I'll be okay. We can keep going."
Tsume had no troubles himself with affecting a glare. They hadn't caught anything because Toboe pounced on everything that moved, and three quarters of the time it was a lizard, or a finch; big enough to fill a mouth, but not four stomachs. Tsume didn't even know why he had agreed to this anyway; Hige was a better hunter by far, but somehow Tsume had still managed to get roped with the baby-sitting duties.
"Sit, I said!" he barked, and Toboe abruptly sat, blinking like he'd been surprised into it. Tsume sighed at the sight of that expression. Why was it every time he said a harsh word in the kid's direction, he was the one who felt like the heel?
"I'm-" Toboe began, but Tsume already knew what he was going to say.
"Save it for Hige when we get back without a kill," he told him, and crouched down to take a look at Toboe's back paw. It didn't look right; a decent size bruise with a small puncture at the centre made the flesh red and tight. Tsume grunted, and bent down to lick at the wound, and it tasted just a little sour. "Hold still," he ordered when Toboe wriggled, and spat whatever it was aside just in case.
"Maybe you can go back ahead without me, Tsume," Toboe offered, but when Tsume looked at him his eyes were wide, showing the whites. "I'll be alright if I wait for you here, and then you can bring Kiba and Hige."
"You won't be alright," Tsume grumbled, and it was only half that he knew exactly the kinds of looks he'd get from the other two if he went ahead and did something like that. "Besides, what could they do?"
"I nearly got that hare," Toboe said, with a funny laugh that Tsume decided he didn't actually like to hear. "He was pretty fast though..."
"Well, you just have to be faster."
"I can be! I know I can! You don't believe me!"
Tsume glanced away from Toboe's hot, desperate look. He just tried too hard. He was still a pup, and sometimes no better than a dog, and he expected too much out of himself. But he was also brave, Tsume was starting to see, in ways Tsume had never thought about brave before. Still, no one was doing the pup any favours by mothering him. If he wanted to survive, he had to learn to be tougher, inside and out.
"Are you challenging me, pup?" he asked cooly.
Toboe went white at that, but somehow it didn't put out his fire. "Of course not! N- Not like that! Besides, you're not the Alpha; Kiba is!"
As soon as he said it, he went whiter still, eyes wide as his paw came up to cover his muzzle like he could somehow stop the words now they were out. Tsume frowned.
"Don't look like that," he grumbled finally, and took a hold of Toboe's injured foot again. Fact was fact, after all; Kiba was the one with the vision. "I'm not going to bite you."
However, they couldn't hunt on this leg. If Tsume could lick most of whatever was in there out, maybe they could make it back to the others at least. He lifted the pup's foot and bent his head and Toboe tensed, then flinched on the first lick of his tongue. Tsume ignored him, ignored the disapproving voice in his head that said the pup always flinched from him, and yet kept hanging around no matter how many times Tsume barked at him, and there was a reason for that, but Tsume refused to acknowledge it. He kept firm hold of the paw, and dragged his tongue slowly over the wound, again and again, changing the angle each time, until Toboe's leg was trembling, and he was whining.
"Tsume, Tsume..." Toboe panted, and it sounded uncomfortably like begging. "Stop! Please, stop! I'm okay! Tsume!"
"Shut up," Tsume growled, starting to lose patience. He could feel something odd, something small and sharp inside the cut that shouldn't have been there. "You've got something stuck in here," he muttered. "Hold still. This'll probably hurt."
Tsume bared his lips and then started working at the thorn with careful teeth. Above him, Toboe whined a little more loudly, but he didn't move. Tsume worked deeper, as delicately as he could. He almost had it, almost...
The thorn came free in his teeth, a nasty little needle of something that Tsume just hoped wasn't poisonous. He turned aside again and spat.
"Tsume," Toboe said on what sounded like a sob.
"Shh," Tsume told him, gently this time, and turned back to the job of cleaning the wound. "It's okay now, see? Soon it won't even-"
One minute Toboe was there, the next he was practically in Tsume's arms, his head against at his chest, and his whole body was trembling. Surprised for only a second, Tsume frowned again and put his arms around the pup, and allowed himself the luxury for the moment of nuzzling in his hair.
"That must have really hurt," he breathed, with Toboe's wet nose was against his throat. "But you were very brave. Good pup." And he meant it. He supposed Toboe would make a fine wolf one day, when he was older and stronger. One day he probably wouldn't need him any more. The realisation caused something odd to ache deep in Tsume's chest.
"I tried," Toboe sniffled. "Was I? I tried really hard." He lifted his head to gaze tearfully, hopefully at him again, and this time Tsume gave him what he hoped was a smile; he owed the pup that at least.
"I know," he said. "You were. Now-"
Toboe leaned up and licked his mouth.
Tsume froze, staring down, and Toboe leaned up and lapped at him a second time. Tsume could feel his breath coming short against his lips.
"Toboe..." Tsume started, almost shocked, but somehow he'd known, hadn't he. And wasn't this what he'd been trying to avoid all along? Maybe the pup didn't understand...
"I like you, Tsume," the pup said in a small, quiet voice, but for a second, he looked as brave as determined as the White Wolf sometimes did. "Is it okay?"
Was it okay? What was Tsume supposed to say to that? But then again, looking down into the hopeful, open face and seeing both the pup Toboe was and the wolf he might one day become, perhaps the question should have been what couldn't he say to it? Toboe might seem like he depended on them, and on Tsume in particular, but somehow, Tsume realised, he was coming to depend on Toboe too. All of them were.
"And what would you do if it wasn't?" he demanded, but there was no bite in his tone, because no matter what he said, Toboe had obviously already made up his mind. Stubborn pup. "Now get off me, and let's go."
"Okay, Tsume!" Toboe agreed, beaming at him with a blush across his cheeks Tsume almost groaned to see. "Hey, maybe we can catch something on the way back!"
Tsume sighed and got himself to his feet. "Yeah, maybe."
It would have to be pretty slow prey though, and possibly as deaf as a post, but then again, watching Toboe limp cheerfully off in the right direction for a change with a faint smile on his face, Tsume realised; stranger things had been known to happen.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-04 09:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-04 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-04 01:11 pm (UTC)No, I was going to say. This was really "aww!" I watched the series two years ago with the children. Its wolves you see. The children are into the wildlife thing. So what's not to love.
Nostalgic, bittersweet tender moment. I cannot say about in character or not but I think you did fine also you managed to imbue the 'sense' of the series into the piece.
Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2007-07-04 10:28 pm (UTC)Thankyou for your very nice - and honest - comment! It's been a while since I watched the series too, so I think if anything, I'm content that you feel I captured the sense of the show...
no subject
Date: 2007-07-04 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-04 10:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 05:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-07 02:57 am (UTC)