Summary: He drops her hands. MugenxFuu.

(drabbles collection; angst, romance; mugenxfuu)

Longer than usual, but I figure it's due.

xx

She's sitting on the ground, hands covering her eyes and forehead, when he looks over his shoulder to make sure she's still walking behind him. They're making their way up a long dusty road, trees looming high on either side with the shadows of their leaves cutting shapes into the dirt. Sun high in the sky and Cicadas chirping loudly, he takes a moment to rub the back of his neck and curse, just because he can.

The fact that she's a good two hundred feet away tells him she's been back there for a while.

Funny, he thinks, how he didn't notice the lack of footsteps.

Turning back, he just stands there and looks at her, squinting against the harsh rays of the sun. By now, her head is raised and she's looking in his direction, although he can't really see her expression from so far away.

She sighs, knowing he probably won't believe her - or care - and shouts in his direction.

"I twisted my ankle."

He catches half of it, but a wind suddenly picks up and carries away their conversation along with a cloud of dust and he's left turning his head slightly, feet already in motion.

"What?"

She groans and feels ridiculous, her head bowing for a split second before popping backward, face toward the sky, sun bright against her eyelids.

"I said," her voice is louder than it should be now that he's less than ten feet away, and when she reopens her eyes to see his shadow looming over her, blocking out the sun, the volume of her words drops entirely and she clears her throat," I ... twisted my ankle."

His eyes go from her face to her ankle, taking in its swollen, reddish appearance, and how it's twice the normal size. He frowns and kneels, tanned fingers reaching outward as he takes it gently in his hands, feeling for imperfections. A part of him feels like laughing, but instead he just grins slowly, one side of his mouth jerking upward into a half-smirk.

"You would," is his only response, fingers wrapping around the bone and squeezing.

"Are you trying to break it?" She promptly hisses through gritted teeth at the pressure of his fingertips on her skin and resists the urge to kick him away, "Squeezing is not going to make it heal faster!"

"You're such a whiny ass, you know that." He lets go of her, satisfied with what he finds there and sits back on the balls of his feet, deciding something.

A flock of birds shoot over head, wings fluttering, and neither of them saying anything for a moment.

"Give me your hands."

She blinks at him, looking at her hands in her lap, "What, why?"

A roll of the eyes, "Just do it."

"Fine."

She holds out both hands, palms up and inviting, only to have his bigger, calloused ones take hold of them and steadily hoist her to her feet. Standing there close, with him much taller and her much shorter, their hands still together, he makes a strangled sound at the back of his throat that sounds strangely like annoyance and knows he's going to regret this decision somewhere down the road.

He drops her hands.

"What was that for? Mugen--!"

Without effort, he picks her up bride style and starts walking, making a point to keep an eye on the road ahead instead of the incredulous expression now painted on her face. In two-point-five seconds she's going to start ranting and raving, he can feel it.

Instead, she says three words. Three dark, dangerously-close-to-being-menacing words, that do nothing to phase him.

"Put. me. down."

He pins her with his eyes, tightening his hold on her just slightly so that she gets the point. He speaks in a firm, but rough, tone and bites the words out as if it physically pains him to be this forthcoming.

"You twisted your ankle. Normally, I wouldn't give a rat's ass, but instead of having to listen to your bitch ass complain the rest of the way, I thought I'd save us both a little time and just carry you."

She opens her mouth, but he continues.

"It's the one time I'm actually going to do something nice for you, so just shut your mouth. And enjoy it."

His mouth twitches afterward, and she stares at it unconsciously, suddenly aware of his hands around the backs of her thighs, circled around her back. It's a comfortable feeling, and she turns her head into his chest to hide the gentle smile that ends up working it's way onto her face. She'd kiss his cheek if they were standing, but simply sighs instead, causing him to flick his eyes in her direction.

"Thank you," is her soft reply, accompanied by a thankful grin and a rosy tint to her cheeks.

He scoffs and rolls his eyes, pretending he isn't pleased, and keeps on walking, pulling her a little closer to his body every step of the way.