Breath of Fire III; Rei/Ryu

[kristinmachina.livejournal.com]

Title: For Want of Fur
Author: kristinmachina 
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slash, but really tame slash.  Also, spoilers if you haven't played BoF III
Word count: 1044
Summary: Rei and Ryu shared a bond that went beyond a need for warmth.
A/N: Again, I'm very sorry this is late.
For the prompt: 
Breath Of Fire III, Rei/Ryu: comfort - "It wasn't your fault."

***

Ryu was cold. Ryu was naked. Ryu was alone. Then along came Rei.

Although he was barely conscious, Ryu remembered that warm, fuzzy tail wrapped around him, holding him secure and safe, as Rei carried him home. The big tiger gave the boy an old shirt to sleep in, and tucked him into a soft, warm bed.

Ryu hated sleeping alone. He was haunted with nightmares about giant monsters, growling and howling. Sometimes, at night, he wondered if that shadow in the window were those monsters, coming to eat him.

"Oh, alright," Rei shrugged, "You can bunk with me. But just for tonight, OK? Don’t wanna scratch you with my claws by accident."

Ryu curled up against the tiger, into that warm fur. He knew that Rei would chase away the monsters with his knives. He had nothing to fear as long as Rei was near.

***

The winter months were cold, and constant snowstorms kept Cedar Woods coated in white. There was plenty of firewood, but the boys still huddled together at night to keep warm. Teepo always needed to hog the quilts.

"I’m cold!" The long-haired boy whined under the covers. "Move over, will ya?"

Often being robbed of quilts by Teepo, Ryu kept himself wrapped in the teenage tiger’s tail for warmth. Rei looked at the little boy, bundled up in his furry, striped coil. He constantly told Ryu, "Just for tonight," but it was so darn hard for Rei to kick Ryu out when he looked so content and adorable.

His mom must have rocked him to sleep every night, Rei thought silently to himself, as he watched the little boy sleep. Ryu was probably so used to snuggling with some stuffed animal, or a soft blanket, that Rei became just that–a six-foot, living teddy bear and security blanket all in one. As the nights passed, the bed in their little cabin felt less cramped, and more cozy. Rei’s two little adopted brothers were safe and sound and close to him.

***

Then, one day, Rei was gone. Teepo was gone. Ryu was alone again, in the cold.

The young boy found friends of his own, eventually, but he longed for those strong, furry arms to snuggle into at night. Ryu waited by the fire at camp, restless, scanning the forest for a sign of orange and stripes. Only monsters roamed the woods, and the occasional merchant, but no Rei. The little boy, heartbroken, shivered and wept until he fell asleep.

***

The years passed. Ryu grew up. He was not the same scared, shivering child anymore. He could fight his own monsters, yet Rei’s memory continued to haunt him. Ryu still imagined that his sleeping bag was orange fur, gently heaving against him. It seemed odd to Ryu that such a memory would remain so strong for so many years, and only continued to intensify. Was it just soft plushness that Ryu longed for, or Rei himself?

Then, rumors of a wild, vicious tiger began to spread. Soon, it was more than rumors, as a bloody trail emerged. People were savagely attacked, killed, by this monstrous beast.  It could not be Rei,  Ryu thought to himself. That same gentle cat that kept him warm in the winter months could not possibly be responsible for such horror, such brutality.,

But it was Rei.

The tiger told his story to Ryu, as they sat at the campfire. It was Rei’s secret, his horrible, hidden power that he did not want the kids to know about. He lost control of it when he lost Teepo and Ryu, when those thugs told him that his little "brothers" were dead. He wanted those responsible to be punished. He wanted their blood, and the beast within him came roaring out.

The big tiger was shaking, shivering. Rei was ashamed, sobbing, "It’s my fault, Ryu! I was supposed to keep you safe! You trusted me, and I failed you!"

Ryu did not say anything. Instead, it was Ryu’s turn to stop Rei from shaking. The young dragon wrapped his arms around Rei, and curled up against him. Rei crushed the blue-haired youth to his chest, as Ryu was once again wrapped tightly in orange fur. Rei’s tail wound around Ryu’s waist, and his arms folded around Ryu’s shoulders.

It was like the years apart had never passed. They laid a sleeping bag close by the fire, and Ryu and Rei crawled in together, both wearing trousers. Ryu could not help but notice that, as he ran his fingers through Rei’s fur, there were old scars underneath. The long, hard years had not diminished Rei’s warmth, however, as Ryu rested against his body.

Ryu’s body had changed as well, Rei observed. He was not little anymore; he was taller and broader around the shoulders. Rei’s tail only wrapped once around his waist. He had grown up strong; there were warrior’s muscles under the dragon boy’s skin, under Rei’s paws. Ryu’s cheek rested against Rei’s shoulder, as the tiger’s heart thumped against the dragon’s chest.

Ryu did not have to say a word, but Rei had found absolution in his arms.  His guilt had been lifted by Ryu's embrace.  

Rei’s nose nuzzled against Ryu’s cheek, as the tiger kissed the blue-haired youth on the side of his face. Ryu turned his head to return the gesture, but instead, caught the side of Rei’s mouth. For a minute, the two young men looked into each other’s eyes, asking each other silently, should we try that again? 

Was it right for two men to act this way?, they asked themselves, and each other. Their bodies intertwined, and the sudden gallop of their beating hearts, answered affirmatively. The outlaw in Rei threw aside his worry, and once again kissed Ryu full on the mouth. The young dragon did not pull away, as they pressed their faces against each other.

Something different was happening in their sleeping bag. They were no longer joined together just for warmth, or comfort, or forgiveness. A new fire was kindled between them, from the tiny spark of brotherly friendship that had begun years ago.

Neither one of them cared who woke up that morning to find them curled up, legs, arms and tail wound together in a living knot.

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