omamori

[tosa]

( Mutsunokami's name is the first on the assignment board at the citadel. On the board with all of their assignments and chores, Mutsunokami's name is at the very top. )

Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki - Attendant

( Being the attendant sword, he'd found himself with a whole new set of responsibilities. It's nothing new for him. This is hardly his first time being chosen. One could probably even argue he was chosen this time because he'd proven himself so many other times. He's a rambunctious and troublesome spirit but when given responsibility, he always steps up. His room is lit late into the night as he writes up reports and oversees inventory. While he seems to casually help the saniwa assign duties to the other spirits, you can't deny that he's not bad at picking those who work well together. He remains by the injured who are stuck in repairs for days on end and he keeps the smith company as they wait for a new comrade to come.

But early in the week, things are clearly different. He leaves the saniwa's room, holding a blessed omamori carefully in his hand. So this was for him to decide to keep or give away? He holds it up and thinks carefully, looking over the tantou playing in the garden and then at the assignment board that shows which swords are due to head out soon. That was when he got his first idea.

Souza was the first person he asked.

"Do you want this?" Souza didn't even have to speak. The look he gave Mutsu was enough and Mutsu just laughed, "Yeah, I guess it was a stupid question." And that was it. Issue dropped.

When morning came for them to head out, it was only natural Mutsu would see them off. There was always a speech before these things and his words are ready-- he's used to this. "Come back safe. Don't do anything stupid. Keep outta trouble. There are people waiting for you here at home."

Later that night, as the oil burns in the lamp next to him, Mutsu thinks, "He'll be mad if he finds out." Because Souza would be mad if he found out Mutsu had some how snuck the omamori onto him anyway.

Time passes and when it's time for the unit to return home, Mutsu heads out to greet them. )

Welcome home--

Comments

[thriceunified]

[Even if he didn't usually defer his own repairs until the others' were done, he would have this time. The omamori had brought him back from shattering, and he actually wasn't sure what was still hurt and what wasn't. He knew he was tired, and sore, and bloody, but how many wounds were still open?

So rest is more important, first. Rest, and getting cleaned up, even if Mutsu has to help him with those things.]

Mmhm.

[The walk to Mutsu's room is a long one, and pride is the only thing keeping Souza from stopping him, from asking to be carried, though once he's settled on the floor he knows he won't be getting up on his own any time soon. Still, Mutsu is close, and trying to get a better look, and all Souza can do is sigh softly and shrug.]

I... don't know what the omamori fixed...

[But it's just the two of them. It's just the two of them, and Mutsu would likely still be scandalized, but to Souza's exhausted mind, it'd just be easier for Mutsu to look and see what needed help and what didn't, and torn, bloody, flowing silk was only in the way of that. So his obi was pulled off first, and then his kimono were shoved unceremoniously off his shoulders until he ended up sitting uncovered on a wrinkled pile of bloody fabric.

He did have to change anyway, after all.]

Everything hurts, but...

[But that wasn't helpful, where Mutsu's fussing would be.]

[tosa]

( Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki is casual and friendly and he doesn't think about things like status or societal norms. He does what he wants, when he wants. He follows the beat of his own drum. He's shameless and as proud as he is loud.

But he's also an old fashioned sword. Souza begins to shed his clothes and Mutsu holds up his hands, )

H-hey, wait a minute...!

( But he gets it. He understands. How else is Mutsu going to check for injuries? And Souza needs a change of clothes anyway so Mutsu hovers awkwardly, hands still held up like he isn't sure if he should help or stop anymore.

It's not like he hasn't seen anyone strip down before! He goes to the baths like all of the other swords! But this is just different and when Souza is finished, he glances away. It isn't something he shows very often but he can get shy easily under the right circumstances and right now, he hadn't had a chance to prepare for any of this. He mutters something to himself about how that's one way to answer the question he'd just asked and recovers, coming closer to check.

It looks like the omamori had worked most of it's magic. Despite the blood, there aren't many injuries. Any injuries sustained after the omamori had done its job are a lot less severe than whatever had been there anyway. But just to check, he moves some of Souza's robes to from his arms to check and then reaches to brush back some of his hair to check his face and head.

As he brushes away Souza's hair, there are footsteps outside the room and he freezes, close and personal with Souza right now. In his head, he thinks about what this might look like if anyone came in. Breath held, a nervous smile forming on his face, and the footsteps pass. )

Ya look good.

( CONDITION, WISE. )

Looks like you're mostly healed so ya won't need repairs for long. Ya're probably just tired from fighting twice as hard.

[thriceunified]

[Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki is casual and boisterous and shameless, and still Souza had expected this reaction. He's old fashioned. Easily flustered - at times - and shy more often than most would expect.

But he'd also said he wanted Souza to be his, and while Souza wasn't entirely sure how one should act regarding such things, what he did know was that there was no need for hesitance when it came to intimacy. Even if that intimacy was sitting naked in someone's room while they looked after you. It wasn't that different from letting the saniwa unwrap their blades for repairs, when it came down to it.

But Mutsu is still cute about it, still overreacts, and when Mutsu gets close to inspect him, Souza lifts a hand and drops it down on top of his head, letting fingers tangle in soft, fluffy hair, scratches lightly at his scalp as though he was actually an overexcited puppy before letting his hand drop back down into his lap.

Footsteps grow louder, and the thought of someone finding them like this is... well. It's clear it has Mutsu flustered, and Souza is almost painfully indifferent to the assumptions. They'd see them or they wouldn't. They'd think things or they wouldn't. They'd have heard the gossiping from the tantou who had seen them earlier or they wouldn't have. It didn't matter. He was Mutsu's, and it might take a while to ask if Mutsu would be his, too, but the sentiment still lingered in the back of his mind. That was what mattered.

So he leans forward just enough to bump his forehead against Mutsu's once the footsteps pass and he speaks again, nearly needs to put his foot right in his mouth.]

You... wouldn't mind cleaning me up... so I can sleep... would you?

[Definitely tired.]

[tosa]

( He can't help but lean into Souza's hand just a bit-- only the slightest bit. He doesn't even realize he's doing it but he's always been like this-- affectionate, craving for attention and touch. But the moment is short and passes quickly until he's left just holding his breath as he waits for the footsteps to pass and everything is fine and good and... )

Right...

( His voice trails slightly, just the smallest bit, like something else is on his mind but he focuses quick enough. He's close. He's really, really close but is quickly up and away, dashing out of the room in the direction of the medic's room. It's not like he actually keeps things like bandages and clean rags in his room so he needs to get them. He's only gone for a little while but he feels like he's taking too long.

When he returns, he has some clean rags, a first aid kit he's clearly borrowed from Yagen inside a bowl, and behind him is Midare, with another bowl and a pitcher of water. He sets up in front of Souza, Midare setting the bowl next to him and pouring water into it. He lingers, asking Mutsu if he's sure he doesn't need any help and Mutsu insists he's fine, thanking Midare with a warm smile, reaching to ruffle the tantou's hair and telling him to go check on his injured brother.

Alone again, Mutsu wets the cloth and begins to wipe at the blood on Souza's face. )

I'm not sorry, ya know. ( That he'd gone behind Souza's back to save him. ) I'd do it again.

( It's quiet work as he focuses on getting Souza clean-- first his face and then his collar and

His eyes glance down at the brand on his chest. Without a word or another glance, he wipes at the drops of blood around it and continues his work. It's just a brand. Like his own scar, it's nothing worth mentioning. )

[thriceunified]

[The moment - being close, really close - seems to stretch on forever, and... that's fine. Souza finds himself thinking that if they could just stay like this, in the calm of the night and the calm of coming back safely from a dangerous mission - but only just barely - then perhaps being saved would be alright.

It stretches on forever and ends too soon, with Mutsu up and away, dashing off to the medic's room, leaving Souza to his thoughts.

They're not pleasant, as they rarely are. He finds himself thinking how he'd still have rather died out there, even if some good had come out of Mutsu's scheming. If he had, then the omamori could have been used on someone who deserved it, on the saniwa's favorite, or on someone like Sayo or Yagen or Oodenta - valuable members of the citadel, whether by strength or knowledge or both. Not him. Not him, who had already lived too long, cheated death too many times and yet still wanted it to come. He'd cheated it again, today. He was lucky that the repairs didn't involve fire or reforging again.

He's lost in melancholy when Mutsu returns, Midare in tow, and at the sound of the door sliding back open, he looks up, startled for only the briefest moment, before offering them both a tired not-quite-smile, thanks Midare as he's shooed away, relaxes again as Mutsu settles in front of him, sets to work scrubbing the blood away.]

I know... [Both that he's not sorry and that he'd do it again.] I... wish you hadn't...

[Mutsu continues lower. Souza shifts ever so slightly every so often to bare more skin for him, watching idly as the water slowly grew pink and the cloth grew stained. Another inconvenience he'd caused. For once, there's a touch to his brand and he doesn't give it a thought, though, with how nonchalant the work had been and continued to be. But then, this was Mutsu. He knew. He knew, and knew Souza would give the same lack of consideration to his scar, were their positions reversed.]

[tosa]

( It's quiet work as he's focused on more important things in the front of his mind. He's never liked it. He's never liked blood and he doesn't like it on Souza right now. It helps that Souza is making it easy to take care of him right now.

Souza speaks and Mutsu's eyebrows knit together, a frown on his face. He doesn't say anything at first-- entirely focused on the task at hand for the time being-- but when he's coming to a close and almost finished, )

I don't get ya one bit sometimes. ( He doesn't even pretend to hide how frustrated he sounds. He's finished cleaning what he can without dumping Souza right into a fresh bath and he stops before he goes to get a change of clothes. ) All that time sitting around wishing ya'd be useful and now ya gotta chance and all ya wanna do is break.

All that time thinking how nice it is to have a master that cares for ya and now ya have one and ya don't care at all.

( It's the same conversation he'd snapped at Souza earlier. The same thing still driving him crazy with the contradictions. He squeezes out the water, forcing all of his frustrations out in the rag instead of at Souza. )

And what d'ya think'll happen if ya die? D'ya think about all the people who'd care if ya went away? Not if they'd understand but if they'd care?