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pocketramblr · 3 months

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39. — heartache. Thank you!

tw- uh. blood. organs? surgery? its all unrealistic but still.

There were mottled bruises on Yoichi's chest. The green and purple stood stark and dark against the pale skin. He shivered more from the cold than from Kudo's eyes on it, even though he was used to both.

"Bruce?" Kudo asked, and the other man sighed.

"It's like I thought." Like Yoichi had said. "His heart's too weak on its own for his body. But as it is now, it's too strong."

It was too strong. Too loud. Yoichi's brother's voice used to be what echoed in his head. Now it was the rush of his own exhausted blood.

"So, the rest of his body just needs to catch up in health?" Kudo asked, as if they had the time or resources for that. Bruce shook his head.

Yoichi moved his hand. "No, I'll show you."

He pressed the bruised skin, and it moved back around his fingers. At his call, the organ moved closer, until bits shone in the light. His own pale green, but also the pearly new white that shimmered in other colors.

Kudo breathed in sharp as a knife.

Yoichi let go, and his heart sunk back. It was so heavy in his chest.

"So the rumors about your brother are true?"

Yoichi shrugged. It had been years since he last saw the glint of his brother's heart, green as well, but so dark it was almost black. Glinting like blood did.

Kudo turned again to Bruce. "How much stronger is it?"

"Than Yoichi's own heart? Two and half times stronger, maybe. Than yours or mine, one and a half?"

"Than his brother's?"

"Weaker." Yoichi answered for Bruce. Far weaker, still, than it probably had been at their birth. Certainly weaker than it now, with all the hearts he took from his followers, with all the hearts he stole.

Kudo hummed. "Alright. Take mine."

"No." Yoichi denied him almost before the offer reached his ears, eyes wide, hands moving frantically at nothing.

"Yoichi-"

"I'm not going to be like-"

Bruce cleared his throat. "Wouldn't that make it worse?"

Kudo blinked. "How would it?"

"Because- oh, you meant, I see."

"I don't. And no, I'm not taking-"

"You aren't." Kudo held out his hand. Yoichi took it by habit. His thumb rubbed over the back. It was rough, and warm. "We're going to trade."

Yoichi squeezed the hand tighter. That was worse.

A trade, a bargain, those all ended in death. Kudo had offered him freedom without a price. That was why he had taken it. There wasn't supposed to be an exchange.

"Yoichi."

He closed his eyes, instead of seeing Kudo's expression. The pain he was causing.

His heart beat even faster. His ribs ached with each thump.

"Don't die to spite him. Come out of the vault with me." Kudo said, over the drumming sound.

Just like he'd said the first time Yoichi had heard him speak.

Another hand on his, surrounding it.

"You know we're not the heroes you call us. Can you let us play at it too though, now? Let us try?"

Try. Just for him.

He'd be so selfish to let them. He'd be so selfish to deny them.

He had a headache from the sound of his heart.

He couldn't even hear himself think anymore.

Or maybe he just wasn't.

He opened his eyes, and looked at Bruce. "Is he healthy enough for it?"

Bruce nodded. "He should be. It's not even in the top half of the worst risks he's taken."

Yoichi almost wanted to laugh at that. Instead, tears stuck to his cheek.

"Fine. Yes."

"I'll get the supplies. Kudo, you'll need to lay down." Bruce ordered, and left the room.

Yoichi stood from the bed he was sitting on to give Kudo room after he took his shirt off, but found himself pulled down again anyway. They both fit, if narrowly.

Bruce returned and sterilized his scalpel and needle, put on gloves.

"Alright, if Yoichi's like I think, he'll be able to survive longer without it in than you, so, get it ready first."

Yoichi nodded, and this time, he almost pulled the whole organ out. It sat on his skin and in his palm. It moved under his fingers so quickly.

Bruce twisted a t-shirt and had Kudo bite down, then moved faster than Yoichi had seen.

It felt like no time at all, and also far, far too long. It took twelve heartbeats.

Kudo's heart was like all the others Yoichi had seen. Red and orange and shining, but he had no time to examine it further as Bruce grabbed the one from his hand and switched them, letting go to press the too-large heart into the hole in Kudo's chest. He held it there for a second, and Yoichi suddenly realized the gaping vacuum in his own.

He gasped, and pressed the new heart over his skin. It sunk in like the first and second ones had.

Suddenly, Yoichi was burning. The shock faded, but the warmth didn't.

Yoichi went limp.

He watched Bruce discard his top pair of gloves, then hold the skin closed to sew it back together.

The thread was yellow, whatever they'd been able to find. At least it had been boiled.

Yoichi realized there was blood, sticky and red, on both his and Kudo's chests. But under it on his would only be fading bruises. Under Kudo's, stitches and scars.

Kudo's sticky red blood was on Yoichi's hand, too. He moved it, and in a second Kudo had taken it, squeezed it just as tightly as he had.

Bruce tied off the thread and stuck down the bandages, then stepped back, panting like he'd run across a city.

"You ok?" He asked, taking the t-shirt from Kudo's mouth.

"Fine."

Yoichi nodded.

"Good." Bruce collapsed back into the chair, hands in his lap, not even bothering to remove the gloves. "Good."

Yoichi turned his head to look at Kudo. "How does it feel?"

"Like you. How does mine?"

Yoichi thought about the warmth that was spreading through his body now, more than he'd had in his life. The weight that was solid, but not crushing. The movement that was quick, but not running him into the ground. The sound that was there, but quieter.

"Like you. Thank you." He tilted his head, pressing his forehead to Kudo's. "My hero."

"Thank you. My heart."

"Thank you, doctor who saved both our lives." Bruce said to himself. "You're welcome."

"You never got a doctorate." Kudo breathed.

"You're only brave enough to say that now because I'm not holding the scalpel anymore."

Kudo and Yoichi let out breaths of laugh, then winced as their bodies and hearts adjusted to the sensation.

"Thank you, doctor hero." Yoichi added.

"You're welcome, favorite patient."

#well that was way more fun to write than grading #ehehe. have a little duo holders treat #pocket talks to people #ask game #aimportantdragoncollector #'hey so does this mean afo tears out yoichi's heart in front of kudo-' thanks for asking. yes.#or is it. afo tears out kudo's heart from yoichi's chest. in front of kudo. eh whichever #kudoichi #duo holders

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