valmora | [Bleach] Preincarnation Slip-up (53, AU)

REALLY. AFTER THIS I'M GOING TO LEAVE AND GO TO BED LIKE A NORMAL PERSON.

Title: Preincarnation Slip-up
Rating: PG-13 for innuendo.
Fandom: Bleach AU
Pairing: villaininglasses/villainwithshortsword. oh dear was that a spoiler? STOP READING BLEACH FIC IF IT WAS.
Disclaimer: If these were my characters I would have to have had a sex change operation, an ethnic change operation, and changed my citizenship. Face it: I'm not Kubo Tite and he isn't me. Therefore, these characters aren't mine; they belong to the author of Bleach and all and sundry to whom he has licensed it. Also, I didn't make any money from this but they sure as heck have made money off me for Bleach.
Notes: The sarcasm light is ON. MAD FORESHADOWING YO.

It isn't like Sousuke to forget that it's only supposed to be a friendly match. Of course, it isn't like practice swords to cut through padding and make people bleed, either, not when they're bated and when it didn't look like it had enough force to actually hurt. Gin doesn't know what's gone wrong except that Momo, cute little Momo with her small hands and her big eyes and her idol-worship is bleeding onto the exercise mat, too shocked even to start crying.

Someone, Gin doesn't know who because he isn't watching, is screaming. Someone else has the presence of mind to try to staunch the bleeding, and Gin would be happy about them getting her out of the room except Sousuke has collapsed to his knees on the floor - and there's a position Gin'd like to see in some other circumstance - head in his hands but still holding the sword, shoulders hunched.

Kneeling in front of him, Gin doesn't ask anything stupid like Are you okay. Of course Sousuke's not okay. If he were okay he'd be in control of the situation and he is most definitely not. Instead Gin says, "She'll be okay. They're getting her to a hospital and she'll be okay."

Sousuke says something that might be Oh God or might be Thank God into his hands, the words muffled, and when Gin reaches to extricate his fingers from the hilt of the sword, allows the gesture. The supposedly-practice sword thumps onto the mat, speckled red at the tip, and Gin pushes it away, taking Sousuke's wrists and pulling his hands away from his face. Making Sousuke look at him.

"At least if she presses a case you you'll be able to see your parents," Gin says, and Sousuke smiles at him, something black and purple in his eyes, like a fresh bruise.

"I didn't think it would happen," he says, sliding his wrists so that he and Gin are holding hands, his fingers cold. "But I did. I - I don't know. I wanted to kill her. I wanted to tear everything apart and to break everything down and - I don't know. I don't understand." His grasp on Gin's fingers hurts, too tight, their knuckles grinding against each other through skin.

"You went a little crazy," Gin says, forcing a smile, feeling his eyes squint up behind the glasses that protect him from the fluorescent lights. "Happens sometimes to people."

Sousuke shivers, raw. "I don't like that feeling," he says, like he didn't hear what Gin said. "Like the world's a seven-dimensional checkers game with me trying to get to the other side of the board. To become king. Not letting anything in my way."

"Don't know about that," Gin says, wondering if maybe Sousuke's train of thought should be stopped, and then thinks Definitely, yeah when Sousuke says, "So cold that way. All the time."

"Well, don't let it happen again," Gin suggests, and Sousuke nods.

"Promise you won't let me become that way," he says, and Gin can't bear to meet his eyes for their intensity.

"I promise," Gin says, and stares at their entwined hands. "For the rest of this life and any other."