Uh okay so this isn't exactly a Jupiter Ascending AU, but kind of borrows bits from it? idek what this is but it sure is Something
"Oikawa called you a guard dog," Yahaba says, and Kyoutani growls under his breath. "Is that what you are?"
"I'm a guard," Kyoutani says. "And I might happen to be a dog. But I'm not a guard dog. Anyway, this way. I've been assigned to guard you. I'm going to keep you safe."
"Safe from what?" Yahaba wonders following him down the long hall.
Kyoutani shrugs. "I don't know. Safe. In general. I guess. Oikawa said he'll give you some time to settle in, but he wants to speak to you in an hour. Do you want me to leave and come back for you?"
Yahaba eyes the large chamber they're standing in front of and frowns. "Uh. You can stay, if you don't have anything else to do? This place is big and I don't really… know anyone. Or what I'm doing. At all."
"I'll stay," Kyoutani tells him, and leads the way into the room.
Yahaba doesn't really know what to talk about, and the silence that stretches between them is awkward. He finally clears his throat and looks up at Kyoutani.
"So. You're a dog."
•
By the time Kyoutani leads him to the throne room to speak with Oikawa, they've learned a lot about each other. Yahaba's learned all about the genetic experiments that resulted in Kyoutani's race, about their genetic similarities to dogs, their physical similarities, their temperamental similarities.
And the best thing that Yahaba could think of to say at the time was, I love dogs. I've always loved dogs.
The silence that hangs over them as they walk now is even more awkward than it was before.
Kyoutani opens the door to the throne room and lets Yahaba enter first, not quite looking him in the eye. It's not a very big room, but big enough to entertain a handful of guests. Yahaba wonders why Oikawa's chosen this, of all places, to make into a throne room, but then he notices the large paneled window behind the throne, looking out into the starry void of space, and Yahaba understands completely.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Oikawa asks, his voice raspy as he gets to his feet and glides across the room, taking Yahaba's hands in his.
There's another guard, the same race as Kyoutani, standing beside the throne. Iwaizumi, Yahaba remembers from when he first introduced himself when bringing Yahaba on board. Kyoutani defers to him, not looking him in the eye but standing beside him, the respect evident in the very way he moves.
Oikawa follows Yahaba's gaze and chuckles softly. "Iwa-chan is top dog, here. He's the heard of the guard. He's training little Mad Dog-chan here to be a good pup."
Quiet as Oikawa's voice is, Kyoutani still seems to hear it, for the way he tenses. Iwaizumi places a hand on his shoulder, immediately making him relax. Yahaba watches the silent exchange, fascinated.
"The prophecy said that I'd find a worthy successor on your planet," Oikawa murmurs. "Not that I'm looking to leave my position as Grand King any time soon, but, well. It always helps to have an heir. I knew we made the right choice the moment Mad Dog-chan took to you."
"He didn't take to me, I just didn't take his shit," Yahaba replies, rubbing his knuckles idly, thinking back to the first time he met Kyoutani, just a few hours ago, when they'd bumped into each other in a crowded marketplace and things had somehow escalated into a punch up then and there. Apparently, that's all it takes to become the heir of an entire galaxy. "And I don't really know how to do this… ruling… thing. I don't know if I'm the person you're looking for, honestly."
"Why don't you stay on board for a while?" Oikawa suggests. "Make up your mind after you see what things are like for yourself, instead of me telling you my version."
"Sounds simple enough," Yahaba nods. "Can I ask you a question, though? It's just. Your voice was normal when we first met but it's all raspy now. Are you okay?"
Yahaba thinks he sees Iwaizumi tense up. Oikawa laughs, patting his shoulder.
"I'm perfectly fine, you don't have to worry. It's just… we had an hour to kill while we let you settle in, and Iwa-chan gets ever so enthusiastic about breathplay."
"Oh," Yahaba says, because honestly, he doesn't really know what else to say. "Okay."
•
Just as Oikawa suggested, Yahaba does stay on the large spaceship, familiarising himself with it and the way things work. He's gotten used to Kyoutani following him around like—well, a dog.
He's even gotten used to Kyoutani sleeping at the foot of his bed. That took a while.
He's just… gotten used to Kyoutani, in general. The conversation flows easier. The fights start a lot quicker. Yahaba enjoys both of these things.
"Was Oikawa right?" Yahaba asks one night, when he's lying awake, with Kyoutani curled on his side at the end of the giant bed. "About you taking to me?"
Kyoutani sighs, sitting up in the bed. "Yeah. I guess so."
Yahaba blinks in surprise. "Really?"
"I didn't hate you," Kyoutani tells him. "Usually, I hate people as soon as I meet them."
"I've kind of gotten that impression," Yahaba laughs quietly. "Grumpy puppy."
In the faint starlight coming in through the window, Yahaba sees Kyoutani go still.
"Say that again."
"So you can punch me for it?"
"No, just…" Kyoutani swallows hard and when he speaks this time, his voice is quieter, almost pleading. "Call me that again."
"If will if you come here," Yahaba says, sitting up in bed, leaning back against the headboard and watching as Kyoutani crawls up the bed, until they're pressed against each other. Kyoutani has his hands resting on the headboard, on either side of Yahaba, caging him in. Their lips are nearly touching, their warm breath mingling in the tiny space between them.
"Grumpy puppy," Yahaba repeats, smiling as Kyoutani hums, low and pleased.
"I'm not going to do this unless you're staying," Kyoutani murmurs, his lips brushing against Yahaba's with each word. "I'm not doing that to myself, or to you."
"I'm staying," Yahaba tells him with a smile. He made the decision days ago, he's just been waiting until he's sure about it. He's sure about it now.
FILL: The Grand Prince (Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru; Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru)
"Oikawa called you a guard dog," Yahaba says, and Kyoutani growls under his breath. "Is that what you are?"
"I'm a guard," Kyoutani says. "And I might happen to be a dog. But I'm not a guard dog. Anyway, this way. I've been assigned to guard you. I'm going to keep you safe."
"Safe from what?" Yahaba wonders following him down the long hall.
Kyoutani shrugs. "I don't know. Safe. In general. I guess. Oikawa said he'll give you some time to settle in, but he wants to speak to you in an hour. Do you want me to leave and come back for you?"
Yahaba eyes the large chamber they're standing in front of and frowns. "Uh. You can stay, if you don't have anything else to do? This place is big and I don't really… know anyone. Or what I'm doing. At all."
"I'll stay," Kyoutani tells him, and leads the way into the room.
Yahaba doesn't really know what to talk about, and the silence that stretches between them is awkward. He finally clears his throat and looks up at Kyoutani.
"So. You're a dog."
•
By the time Kyoutani leads him to the throne room to speak with Oikawa, they've learned a lot about each other. Yahaba's learned all about the genetic experiments that resulted in Kyoutani's race, about their genetic similarities to dogs, their physical similarities, their temperamental similarities.
And the best thing that Yahaba could think of to say at the time was, I love dogs. I've always loved dogs.
The silence that hangs over them as they walk now is even more awkward than it was before.
Kyoutani opens the door to the throne room and lets Yahaba enter first, not quite looking him in the eye. It's not a very big room, but big enough to entertain a handful of guests. Yahaba wonders why Oikawa's chosen this, of all places, to make into a throne room, but then he notices the large paneled window behind the throne, looking out into the starry void of space, and Yahaba understands completely.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Oikawa asks, his voice raspy as he gets to his feet and glides across the room, taking Yahaba's hands in his.
There's another guard, the same race as Kyoutani, standing beside the throne. Iwaizumi, Yahaba remembers from when he first introduced himself when bringing Yahaba on board. Kyoutani defers to him, not looking him in the eye but standing beside him, the respect evident in the very way he moves.
Oikawa follows Yahaba's gaze and chuckles softly. "Iwa-chan is top dog, here. He's the heard of the guard. He's training little Mad Dog-chan here to be a good pup."
Quiet as Oikawa's voice is, Kyoutani still seems to hear it, for the way he tenses. Iwaizumi places a hand on his shoulder, immediately making him relax. Yahaba watches the silent exchange, fascinated.
"The prophecy said that I'd find a worthy successor on your planet," Oikawa murmurs. "Not that I'm looking to leave my position as Grand King any time soon, but, well. It always helps to have an heir. I knew we made the right choice the moment Mad Dog-chan took to you."
"He didn't take to me, I just didn't take his shit," Yahaba replies, rubbing his knuckles idly, thinking back to the first time he met Kyoutani, just a few hours ago, when they'd bumped into each other in a crowded marketplace and things had somehow escalated into a punch up then and there. Apparently, that's all it takes to become the heir of an entire galaxy. "And I don't really know how to do this… ruling… thing. I don't know if I'm the person you're looking for, honestly."
"Why don't you stay on board for a while?" Oikawa suggests. "Make up your mind after you see what things are like for yourself, instead of me telling you my version."
"Sounds simple enough," Yahaba nods. "Can I ask you a question, though? It's just. Your voice was normal when we first met but it's all raspy now. Are you okay?"
Yahaba thinks he sees Iwaizumi tense up. Oikawa laughs, patting his shoulder.
"I'm perfectly fine, you don't have to worry. It's just… we had an hour to kill while we let you settle in, and Iwa-chan gets ever so enthusiastic about breathplay."
"Oh," Yahaba says, because honestly, he doesn't really know what else to say. "Okay."
•
Just as Oikawa suggested, Yahaba does stay on the large spaceship, familiarising himself with it and the way things work. He's gotten used to Kyoutani following him around like—well, a dog.
He's even gotten used to Kyoutani sleeping at the foot of his bed. That took a while.
He's just… gotten used to Kyoutani, in general. The conversation flows easier. The fights start a lot quicker. Yahaba enjoys both of these things.
"Was Oikawa right?" Yahaba asks one night, when he's lying awake, with Kyoutani curled on his side at the end of the giant bed. "About you taking to me?"
Kyoutani sighs, sitting up in the bed. "Yeah. I guess so."
Yahaba blinks in surprise. "Really?"
"I didn't hate you," Kyoutani tells him. "Usually, I hate people as soon as I meet them."
"I've kind of gotten that impression," Yahaba laughs quietly. "Grumpy puppy."
In the faint starlight coming in through the window, Yahaba sees Kyoutani go still.
"Say that again."
"So you can punch me for it?"
"No, just…" Kyoutani swallows hard and when he speaks this time, his voice is quieter, almost pleading. "Call me that again."
"If will if you come here," Yahaba says, sitting up in bed, leaning back against the headboard and watching as Kyoutani crawls up the bed, until they're pressed against each other. Kyoutani has his hands resting on the headboard, on either side of Yahaba, caging him in. Their lips are nearly touching, their warm breath mingling in the tiny space between them.
"Grumpy puppy," Yahaba repeats, smiling as Kyoutani hums, low and pleased.
"I'm not going to do this unless you're staying," Kyoutani murmurs, his lips brushing against Yahaba's with each word. "I'm not doing that to myself, or to you."
"I'm staying," Yahaba tells him with a smile. He made the decision days ago, he's just been waiting until he's sure about it. He's sure about it now.
"Good," Kyoutani breathes, then kisses him.