Accidental Reverse

Chapter 44

Hello :)

Gotta be honest, this chapter mostly wrote itself. I had no control over it. I also think this is one of the best chapters in the entire story so far. It's certainly one of my favorites, so I hope you guys enjoy it too!

This is both an early birthday present to you guys from me (my birthday on Monday, whoo!) and an anniversary gift too, because I found out last week that on the 17th of May I'll have been a fanfiction writer for ten years. Damn.

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Accidental Reverse Arc 4

~'0'~

''I believe I can take a guess.''

Tenma's heart hammers in his chest.

No. He wouldn't.

A sudden pressure on his injured hand is what snaps him out of it, the discomfort oddly grounding as Aoi's fingers clutch tightly at his. He dares to look up, to both sets off eyes - one dark, and the other a steely grey that makes his skin crawl. It's Ishido, however, who greets him pleasantly. ''Hello again, child.''

Tenma swallows against his suddenly dry throat.

He'd thought - since Gouenji knows how dangerous Senguuji is, since he must suspect that Senguuji is behind his last visit to Fifth Sector, that the man would try to keep Tenma out of the spotlight here. He'd thought Gouenji wouldn't put more of Senguuji's attention on him.

He'd miscalculated.

Tenma tries not to let that harsh realization get to him, nor succumb to the thrum of anxiety that comes with Senguuji's cold, cold stare on him. Instead he takes a slow breath, pretends it's not as shaky as it is, and inclines his head.

''Holy Emperor.''

Ishido smiles.

Aoi's grip is near painful.

The tension could be cut with a knife.

''Well?'' the Holy Emperor asks after a beat of silence.

''Well, what?'' Tenma shoots back instinctively. And then has to hold back a wince when several of his teammates shoot him incredulous looks at his audacity.

It's harder than ever not to avert his gaze, to keep meeting Ishido's gaze without wavering, without shying away, and he thinks something slips through anyway. He hadn't meant to say that.

The words had just slipped out. Without conscious thought, because this is Gouenji, his coach, the one adult he's come to depend on daily - just like he did Endou. Still does.

Gouenji, who has always encouraged him to speak up and disagree if he thinks it's necessary, has always challenged him to share his opinion, to stand by his beliefs, to-

-and now here, now, with Gouenji once more acting as Holy Emperor, as an enemy, well.

It just slipped out, and Tenma's left to deal with the fallout now.

Ishido, at the very least, only seems mildly amused. ''You know what I meant, child.''

A beat of silence. Another one, as Tenma scrambles for something to say.

Then the brunet says, carefully, cautiously, ''Do I?'' and though it sounds like a question, both know it's not, because Tenma is stalling. Because he's wrong-footed. Because he's slipped up and lost his composure and now he's struggling to get it back. Because Sen- because he is right there, just watching him.