#yamahibi

Yamato had never liked the outdoors. Even as a child, his preferred activities were all indoors. He enjoyed reading, learning programming, chess, and his time with his tutors. Even his physical training took place in an air conditioned room within his home.

His only memories of being outside and not being miserable were the early mornings he shared with his mother. She rose before the sun just like he did, and that peaceful, quiet time of the day felt like a secret club that they alone belonged to.

His mother was a powerful figure, stern and detached and beautifully statuesque. She commanded a great presence when she was in a room, and she led JPs with a quiet iron will. In those moments, however, she was only his mother.

Instead of her sleek JPs uniform, she was often in a silk robe, still statuesque, but her edges were made softer by soft morning sunlight threading bright tinsel through the edges of her hair. They would sit on the back porch overlooking the garden and have tea together in comfortable silence.

Those mornings were often cool even in the summer, the wind creating music through the trees and ruffling his hair and pajamas. Every part of the ritual had been relaxed and comforting.

This...this was absolutely nothing like those moments.

His typical grey button down clung to his body like a second, less forgiving skin. The fabric was damp with sweat, made itchy and sticky in all the worst ways and affording him absolutely zero protection against the rough, uneven earth he found himself lying on.

Stones dug into his back, and while he had rolled up his coat to create a half-hearted imitation of a pillow, it did little to offer any comfort. Everything smelled like dirt and sweat.

It was hard to even focus on his back or the smell, however, when the sound of hundreds of insects created a teeth grinding cacophony just outside, so loud that it didn't feel real to him as it bored into his brain without mercy. The chirps and screeches and screams of a million tiny organisms that declared 'We are many, and you are powerless.'

Worse still, beneath the deafening barrage were subtler sounds that kept sleep at bay far more effectively than even the many legged masses outside. The muffled, wet sound of shaky tears and soft whispers, so hushed he couldn't make out words.

Yamato wasn't sure how he should feel about the fact that he couldn't place who was crying. They were feminine, but he couldn't be sure if it was Nitta or Yanagiya or even Ban. He barely knew so many of the people he now found himself reliant upon.

Beside him was a shift, fabric against dirt and stone and a soft, thready sort of sigh that somehow blotted out everything else despite his slow descent into madness. A small rush of scent washed over him, subtle but managing to chase away the earth.

Coconut?

His brows knit in the darkness as he stared upward towards a stone ceiling that he knew was there despite being unable to see it. Hibiki seemed to be as awake and listless as he was. He could imagine what he must look like beside him, glassy eyed and exhausted, damp from the heat with his water-like curls clinging to his skin.

Yamato frowned at his thoughts, lifting a hand to rub and massage at the slick skin between his brows where a headache was forming. No doubt the lack of a proper pillow and cushion was applying too much pressure.

He wasn't sure how long they had all been huddled inside of this cave. ‘Cave’ was honestly generous, given it was more a covered indent in the side of a rock formation that had just enough flat surface and space to let them all lie down.

Beggars couldn't be choosers in this case. If Yamato ever saw Alcor again, he would kill him with his bare hands for dropping them into this new world with nothing. They'd spent the better part of the whole day looking to find a suitable shelter for the night, and this had been the best they'd been able to find on such short notice.

He tried not to think about how many insects called this alcove home. The darkness was almost a mercy, though he was equally angry that it was apparently a new moon tonight as well, giving them all the sensation of being buried alive, save the noise.

Hibiki shifted again, obviously uncomfortable and edging in closer to his body. The scent of coconut shampoo wafted to him again along with the blazing heat of his body making his own temperature skyrocket. He was so hot he felt like he might pass out. He'd welcome it, in fact, but his consciousness was stubbornly hanging on and forcing him to endure the slower demise of slowly melting to death.

Yamato had offered to share his jacket pillow with the other man, forcing them into closer proximity than he felt mentally prepared for, but the heat had taken a lot of his anxiety away. He was simply too exhausted to even muster anything but anger and incomprehension over what his life now was.

His life had been so straightforward before Hibiki. Not simple or easy, but he'd had a path to follow, a goal worth dedicating his life to. In a flash of blue eyes and whirlwind circumstances, everything had changed. He had changed.

He had put his trust in Hibiki despite every cell in his body still desiring his meritocracy. Hibiki had bested him, had taught him new ways of thinking, had shown him that merit could be found in the last place you expect, and how there could be other avenues.

A new world to start over would never have been his first choice. Or second. Or even third. He imagined he would get far down the list before even entertaining it, but Hibiki had managed to sway him.

Anger bubbled inside of him like roiling lava. He was too hot, and too tired, and too fearful to think straight after what felt like hours just trying to fall asleep. The insects droned louder, and there was a buzzing near his ear that he swatted at with a gnash of his teeth.

A sudden low sting to his exposed ankle made him snarl silently and reach down to swat there too, repulsed beyond all belief to feel the delicate insect squish beneath his fingers. Absolutely disgusting.

He wanted nothing more than to get up and walk outside to the slightly cooler air, given the breeze struggled to enter their sheltered space. He wanted to take massive gulps of air and get away from the tears and the close bodies of people he didn't know.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t stupid. They'd had a small five foot climb up to this alcove, and he wasn’t looking to break his leg for a moment of respite. Still, he fantasized about it while sweat rolled down his neck and through the strands of his hair.

Yamato could feel his lashes flutter closed to ease the ache of his eyes. His body was depleted and stressed to the point that he desperately wished for sleep, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to. It was in that half-aware, miserable state that he felt Hibiki shift that small bit closer until his head rested against his shoulder. He could feel his feather-soft hair against his neck along with a wave of agonizing body heat that pressed up against his entire side.

And yet, Yamato didn't push him away. He knew that if this had happened to him in any other circumstance, he would have been eaten alive by anxiety and discomfort. No one touched him. In his haze, Yamato was unable to pinpoint when he had last been touched by another person.  Hibiki’s touch left him feeling stressed and uneasy, just like everything else about the situation he found himself in. Yet, in his exhausted state, the anxiety felt buried, made softer and less real.

Maybe that was why he tipped his head to the side a bit, letting his cheek press down into Hibiki's damp curls and breathing in slowly to let the scent of coconuts slowly make up his world.

It helped. Something in him shifted, despair leaking over into a calm he hadn't expected. They didn't touch further. Hibiki didn't clutch at his body or rest a hand on his chest. They were connected only there at his shoulder, and yet it was the most intimate contact of his life.

His mind drifted to the garden and taking tea in the soft breeze. He imagined what Hibiki would look like there, hair backlit by the rising sun while bright gold ginkgo leaves fluttered behind him. He wanted to ask Hibiki if he liked tea, but in the next moment, time jumped.

When he opened his eyes again, there was faint blue starting to seep into their cave, and someone was snoring near the back. There was a crick in his neck from his awkward position, but he could feel Hibiki's heaviness and breathing against his arm that held the threat of painful pins and needles.

He was groggy and disoriented, but as he lay there trying to once again come to grips with his new reality, a cool breeze gently blew into the space. The sweat on his body seemed to blast cold for just a moment of blessed relief, and his senses blared with coconut all over again.

Yamato would get up soon to start the day, but he felt no immediate rush. Today was the first day of the rest of their lives, for good or ill.