watch duty

When he sat down, the golden rays of the sun were just disappearing beyond the horizon. Sighing, he scooted backwards to rest his back against the tree, leaning his chin against his fist. He'd never particularity enjoyed watch duty. Despite it being no later than sundown, Takumi found himself actively fighting to keep his eyes open.

He was, admittedly, exhausted.

Lately, every time he closed his eyes, he'd see monsters.
Terrible, faded things that whispered in gravelly tones about betrayal, about how he was unimportant, unnecessary. He may as well have just been another faceless soldier, they said, ready to charge to his death should Corrin command it.

And if that was when he simply closed his eyes, when he finally got to sleep they were many, many times worse.

He would catch these... Glimpses.

Sometimes of himself, sometimes of his siblings or the Nohrians, these snippets almost always featured death. The edges of his vision would be clouded an angry red as he shot arrows at Corrin, or witnessed Xander's final moments. Hot splotches of crimson soaked the floor and his hands.

He saw it again and again.

Takumi wasn't sure if they were shards of another life he was picking up — like when you rifle through a book and only catch a few broken phrases — or if they were simply products of his own mind, designed to torment him endlessly.

That's one good thing about watch duty, Takumi reflected. It keeps me awake.

That being said, Takumi didn't exactly love the waking world, either.
His army was currently allied with the country they'd previously been at war with for nearly thirty years. They were combatting an army of invisible soldiers, led by... Something completely unknown to him. If he was being honest, he didn't completely understand the situation.

If it was up to me, we wouldn't be on some insane quest to defeat something that may or may not even exist.

Alas, it was not up to him.

Corrin had approached Ryoma, and — after practically declaring war against both countries — demanded that they work together to fight these invisible enemies.
Evidently that had been enough for Ryoma, because shortly afterwards they'd joined forces with Nohr.

The alliance had a rocky start.
The soldiers from the previously-opposing forces had been almost constantly at each other's throats, and while they were careful not to step too far out of line, things got out of hand quite a few times.

Although, as impressive as their competition had been, it was nothing compared to the rivalry between the second princes. The two, infuriated by the similarities everyone seemingly saw between them, rarely spoke. And when they did, they frequently got carried away, to say the least. A small smile curled Takumi's lips as he remembered his and Leo's earlier days.

"You sound like a whiny, little brat. Just as expected," Leo paused, sneering. "Let's make a deal. You stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you. Think you can manage?"

"Hmph! I'm not going to let you boss me around like that," Takumi snapped back, voice rising. "Good-bye!"

Within the week they'd been arguing again.

"Muttering to yourself, Prince Leo? What's the matter, couldn't find anyone else willing to talk to you?"

While it was amusing — he and Leo sounded like petty children, arguing over nothing like that — he couldn't help but wince at his harsh words.

It was an odd situation, he thought. They'd started off so distant, and now—

"Takumi?"

At the sound of his name. Takumi was jolted out of his thoughts. He turned his head to see Leo approaching him with a satchel tucked under his arm, his blond hair silhouetted against the quickly darkening sky.

Takumi grinned up at him. "Speak of the devil."

Leo cocked his head slightly, bemused. "I wasn't aware you were speaking to anyone at the moment."

"I wasn't."

"...Okay, then." Leo replied, not unkindly, as he lowered himself down to sit next to Takumi. It was silent, save for the warm night breeze rustling through the leaves above them.

"I wasn't speaking... I was thinking about you," Takumi said after a moment, watching Leo fiddle with the satchel's clasps.

Leo glanced back at him. "I see. Do you do that often?" he prompted, voice tinged with amusement.

"Yes," Takumi answered unabashedly. "Frequently, actually."

Leo looked at him quizzically — Takumi was not usually this straightforward — before turning to open up the satchel.

Takumi felt his face heating up, and he cursed Leo silently.
How was he supposed to process what he was saying before he said it if he was sitting next to Leo?

...Warm, caring Leo.

Takumi thought he was lucky to know that side of him. If things had gone any differently... he might have been stuck with cold, ruthless Leo, or maybe no Leo at all. He realized just how much he owed to Corrin for bringing them together.
With the mention of his sibling, fragments of his dreams reentered his mind.

Betrayal.

He pushed the thoughts away — he could deal with them another time. For now, he would sit with Leo.

Takumi, suddenly noticing how prolonged the silence had become, looked over at Leo. The other prince was already looking at him expectantly.

"Oh, uh— did you say something?"

Leo scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, you're supposed to be on guard — aware of your immediate surroundings, at the very least," there was affection in his eyes and no venom behind his words. "I said, I brought the book. Move over."

Takumi obliged, and Leo, shuffling closer to Takumi's side, began rifling through the contents of the small bag that had earlier resided under his arm. As Leo sorted through the several objects inside, Takumi thought he saw a corner Brynhildr's worn cover.
At that, Takumi felt a sharp tug of sadness — even now, Leo was not without his sacred tome.

A small lantern was withdrawn from the satchel, and Leo lit it easily with a wave of his hand. Seeing his partner use magic always filled him with a sort of awe — Takumi had never been particularly good at it himself. Frankly, he hadn't put much effort into learning to use it — he'd considered it weak before the two countries had joined forces. Before he'd seen what an asset it could be.

Settling closer to Takumi, Leo opened the book to where they'd last left off. By now the sky had gone completely dark, and the light from the small flame danced across the book pages, bringing the words and letters to life. Leo wordlessly turned the page just as Takumi finished reading it. It was a rhythm ingrained deep in their minds and hearts from the countless times they'd done this.

At some point, Leo fell asleep on Takumi's shoulder, and the minuscule flame dwindled and went out. Takumi stared into the shadows, feeling Leo's head on his shoulder and the heat of his partner's body pressed against his own, and wished that the night would never end.

The sun soon rose, however, and when it did, Takumi awoke Leo with a gentle nudge and a soft kiss. The two slowly made their way to the Nohrian's tent just as the first fingers of dawn began to brush the edges of the camp.

As he lay down beside Leo, feeling the other boy's fingers brushing through his hair, Takumi thought he might just like watch duty.