Linky's Fics

Wrap Me In Your Wings (And Hold Me Closer)

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Once Ankh was revived, it was not long afterwards that he found himself traveling across the world with Eiji. This wasn’t a surprise. Before they first met, before that civil war, staying in one place for long periods of time was uncommon for him.

In his very core— Eiji was a traveler.

He did have plans to leave the country with Ankh sooner or later. To see various sights around the world together. To experience so many new things that were waiting for them out there.

But for now he’d thought about taking a nice trip around the whole country to see what had changed since it had been so long for him. Eiji went around the world to try and find a way to bring Ankh back, not having set foot in Japan since he departed on that mission.

So seeing people and going to various locales sounded like a good idea.

Plus there were all the various ice creams Ankh would get to try… much to the dismay of Eiji’s wallet. The others may have given them some money for the journey ahead of them as a “Welcome Home Ankh” gift, but he wasn’t made of it!

And there was the thought lingering in the back of his head that Ankh would get petulant and cranky at points, especially when they would be in more off-the-grid locations. But right now altogether it wasn’t too bad for Ankh, since they had been within a reasonable distance to civilization so far. Phone service was still obtainable in most circumstances.

But little did Eiji know, Ankh would stick by him through it. Even if he was going to be a brat about it, and complaining along the way. But he knew this was going to be inevitable. Anyone would be remiss if they thought traveling with Eiji wouldn’t have stretches of traveling where they’d be far from civilization and the conveniences that often came along with it.

Even when they’d eventually trek across more middle-of-nowhere locations, where it was just them and the surrounding nature… Ankh wasn’t going to let him out of his sight.

Eiji was an idiot, but Eiji was his idiot. It had been so long since they were last together— and this time nothing was going to separate them again.

Even if they bickered, that was nothing new. Far from it in fact. And truth be told, there was a sort of comfort to it that couldn’t really be put into words by either of them. But it was all too familiar to them. And in its own way it symbolized how Ankh was home, how things were like they used to be.

It wasn’t exactly the same. Nor could it be. But it was still so familiar, and also something new, comforting, and beautiful. So much had changed, yet at the same time so much remained the same as it ever was.

And this time, they could remain together at last.

It had only been a few months since the pair had taken off and gone across Japan together. Autumn had come and it was in full swing. The trees were a vibrant array of warm colors, the leaves starting to fall gently off the branches in the breeze. The air began to cool down during the day.

Today they were off to Hokkaido. Eiji wanted to see the various forests there, since the sights there were especially gorgeous this time of year.

They were especially deep in a forest after they had gotten here a few hours ago. Eiji knew how to get lost on purpose, how to find himself and those accompanying him deep into the wilderness. To find a path that felt as if it was winding down into nothing, only to stumble across a village after some point.

Eiji called it the instincts of a traveler. Especially for one as well traveled as him. Ankh would call it dumb luck, mainly saying it just to get a rise out of him… and it worked.

It was sunset. The two came across a pond surrounded by trees, and a river flowing into it. The trees were at their peak with such vibrant colors. With the combination of the colors from both the trees and the sky above, it was something out of a postcard.

Eiji planted the stick that carried his underwear into the ground. “Well, this seems like a good spot to camp for the evening!” He stretched and sat down, admiring the view.

Ankh stood, leaning against a tree and taking a good look at what was in front of him. Before this body, the way he saw colors was severely dulled. The sight of the world had been so muted, gray, and fuzzy. He’d been lucky enough to make out the shapes of whatever was in front of him.

But now… everything was so vivid and colorful.

He could actually take in the details of what would be in front of and around him, instead of a muted and fuzzy outline. It was quiet except for the sounds of the river and the surrounding wildlife.

To take in the colors of all the trees, to see the shapes of the leaves and all the details of the veins within them, to enjoy a proper sunset, to be able to smell the crispness that came from the changing of the season— being on this trip with Eiji was what reminded him of what he took pleasure in when he was back in Shingo’s body, and how everyone he knew that year made him feel so alive.

He wouldn’t ever take what this body gave him for granted. Ankh was no longer just a mere pile of medals. Being with Eiji reminded him constantly of just how alive he felt he was, over the time the two originally met and began to know the other. And it was thanks to Eiji that he was able to come back, and experience life in this way again.

Eiji glanced up at Ankh. He could see just how deep in thought he was, and smiled fondly. It was pretty easy for him to estimate what Ankh was thinking about, knowing how much the senses meant to him.

The fact he was able to enjoy something like this, and that they were able to have these moments together from here on out—he’d never take it for granted himself.

Getting back up on his feet, Eiji walked over and gently cupped a hand on Ankh’s cheek. At first Ankh made a noise of confusion as he was snapped out of his thoughts, but quickly leaned into his touch. Ankh’s gaze went back to Eiji. And his eyes said so much. Even if Ankh wasn’t speaking with his mouth, he was almost always talking with his eyes.

Eiji leaned forward, initiating a kiss. His lips pressed against Ankh’s softy, thumb stroking his cheek. He tilted towards him and removed any semblance of space that could have been left between them. Like many of Eiji’s kisses before, it was gentle. Soft. Warm. When he kissed it was almost like a warm blanket being wrapped all over. The love he felt towards Ankh was palpable.

Ankh reciprocated, returning his kiss with something that was more intense than Eiji’s. Which was typical. While Eiji was gentle, Ankh was more rough in comparison. But Ankh showed some restraint this time, which was quite rare from him. His hand slid into Eiji’s hair, entering its Greeed form along the way.

Fingers and talons entangled themselves in the strands of Eiji’s dark and soft hair, pulling Eiji closer towards him. The two molded together as they held onto each other, not wanting to let the other go, taking a small moment for a breath before they kissed again.

Just then Ankh felt a small drop hit his head, then Eiji.

Eiji gestured forward. “We’d better find some cover before it starts pouring on us.” He gathered what few things he had and promptly walked towards the forest.

“Tch.” Sneering, Ankh was not enthused about this sudden inconvenience that showed its head. He followed Eiji back into the woods.

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They finally found somewhere to take shelter after a bit of searching. It was a small cave, which would do just perfect as they waited for this rain to pass. With their backs pressed against the stone as they sat down to rest, it was cold. Eiji shivered a bit from it, while the feeling made Ankh let out a huff.

The walls of rock all around them, the air itself, it was all frigid. The downpour outside wasn’t helping things either.

Ankh couldn’t help but take in the sensations of right now too. The cold air felt as if it almost grazed against his skin. Slowly looking across the area with deliberate and focused glances, he saw the gray of the stone, and how the lighting outside looked different due to the clouds in the sky.

It wasn’t pleasant like before, but this was still an experience humans got to have thanks to their senses.

Even if it sucked.

While Eiji shuffled through the small branches he’d gathered around the cave entrance to make sure they weren’t damp, Ankh rolled his eyes, glancing around the cave again, this time with a look of irritation as the raindrops outside echoed across the cave’s walls.

Eiji sighed with relief as he put the branches down in a pile. “They don’t feel damp anywhere, so we can use them for firewood.” He gave a small smile, his dimples showing.

Then shuffling through what few belongings he had, he got out matches. But he was interrupted in his search as Ankh shot out a small burst of fire, promptly igniting the wood. Cracklings from both the wood and the fire startled Eiji, almost jumping.

Finally a fire was set and they could have some warmth. But it was at the cost of Eiji nearly having a heart attack.

He rubbed his face in his palms and groaned in frustration. “Ankh! What did I tell you about doing that?!”

Ankh scoffed, turning his head to the side and looking away. “Setting up the fire.”

Eiji was this close to grabbing Ankh by the collar of his jacket and giving him a piece of his mind. “You can’t just send out fireballs without warning! Someone could get hurt!”

At least he was well behaved enough for most of this particular trip, which was something he was grateful for. Honestly… It was a miracle.

Crossing his arms petulantly and turning his gaze back to Eiji, Ankh leaned forward with another one of his bird-like movements. “If I wanted to hurt someone, I would have done it by now.” Then slouching back onto the wall, he preened his curls with his talons. “I’m bored.”

Sighing and pressing back against the wall, Eiji scooted over closer to Ankh, who looked at him with attentive eyes, the look making small butterflies form in Eiji’s stomach. There was something about Ankh’s eyes and the looks that he could give that made so many feelings swirl up inside him. After a moment, Ankh directed his gaze back to the rain outside.

“Well, we might be here for a while. Potentially overnight depending on how long it rains.” Eiji then felt a chill make its way through him. While the fire certainly did make a difference, the dampness of the cave only made it colder.

Ankh looked back at him again. It was another thoughtful look, examining how Eiji’s body shivered from the frigid air around them. And Ankh felt it too, though he was probably a bit warmer than Eiji due to the fur on the collar of his jacket.

But he was able to feel the same sensations as Eiji. And being able to feel what Eiji could… The thought stirred up something inside him.

Just what that feeling was, he didn’t entirely know how to describe it.

Another scoff broke the silence. Ankh let out his wings. As his wings stretched outwards, some of his feathers scattered across the cave. A soft glow from the fire emitting onto them, almost shimmering. It was beautiful.

Before Eiji could ask what Ankh was doing— he felt a wing wrap around him and drag him even closer to Ankh. His cheek now resting on the soft fur of his jacket. He didn’t know Ankh’s wings could be so warm. Letting out a sigh as his body relaxed, curling up against Ankh even closer. It was very comforting and just what Eiji needed.

And he swore he could see the tiniest of smiles make its way to the edge of Ankh’s lips.

Snuggling up against him, Eiji took in the heat from the fire and the wings, and enjoyed the softness of the fur that brushed against his cheeks. There was a peaceful silence after that. The only sounds that could be heard were the crackling of the fire, and the rain that was still pouring outside.

After a while of silence, Eiji softly kissed Ankh’s cheek. And Ankh could feel his smile as he kissed him.

It wasn’t long after that the two began to feel their eyes get heavy, drifting off into sleep together as comfort and warmth enveloped them completely.

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End Notes: While writing this I became one of those posts where you go down a rabbit hole of research for one specific detail, and I was lead to the website of the Japan Meteorological Agency to make sure I get the weather right for this fic.

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