3000 Stars

Stupid

Taehyung lost his first battle.

He won the second, but barely, and by the time he arrived at the arena for his fight with Yoongi he was stressed out, ready to collapse. He paused outside the doors to make himself breath, running his hands through his hair and begging his body not to fail him. Yoongi would doubtless be full of energy. Taehyung had seen his posts about the two battles he won. Yoongi was a 10-K now, and Taehyung felt the frustration building inside him. Why did following the rules have to be so hard?

They completely cramped his fighting style, because he had to think about the effect his attack would have on the person beyond getting them to yield. Taehyung wished he could have a proper old-generation fight with Yoongi. He would win that for sure. But Yoongi had only known the inside of this new arena, and he would know how to fight in it.

Taehyung gritted his teeth and entered the battlefield.

To his surprise, Yoongi called no greeting. He was focused on a bubble of water balanced in the air between his hands, playing with it and throwing it up in the air before trying to catch it with his power. Taehyung felt a small jolt. He had played similar games with his powers the first time he hit 10-K. It was a control game, a way to ensure that you wouldn't overuse your powers and get hurt.

If Yoongi still had to play that game, maybe he had some kind of chance.

Then again, perhaps he should have played that game during warm-ups. It was relaxing, and Taehyung was wound as tight as a coiled spring.

Taehyung walked into the arena, and the chime sounded. The hearts appeared above his head. He watched Yoongi flinch and drop the water. Despite himself, he felt guilty. He had hoped to stay ahead of Yoongi, to make it so far that he could hone new powers and attacks to keep himself from becoming recognizable as V.

He had also hoped to avoid seeing Yoongi do things like this. It was so much easier not to think about what he was doing to Yoongi when he didn't see Yoongi being so human.

Taehyung called up a few flat disks of energy, swinging his hands back and forth and struggling to steady his breathing. His heart pounded in his ears. He had to win. He had to win. He had to win.

But when Yoongi called up his powers, something else settled in, a strange single-minded focus. Taehyung moved easily across the field, almost without thinking, throwing the disks down as stairs and using them to climb above Yoongi. Yoongi went after him with a long stream of water, but Taehyung raised a shield and watched it splash over his head before slamming the sheild down on Yoongi, forcing him to his knees.

Lost heart number one. Taehyung swallowed hard, lowering himself to the ground. Yoongi raised a wave of water, and he raised another shield, kneeling and letting it break over him. He felt the focus settling into his bones, rippling through his blood. He knew Yoongi's fighting style. He knew Yoongi was inexperienced. He would defeat him. It was what had to happen, in order for him to protect him.

Once the water passed, he stood and pushed his shield forward, slamming Yoongi off the battlefield.

When Yoongi came back on, his face was set in determination, and they exchanged a flurry of blows, energy exploding against water and sending clouds of steam billowing into the air. Taehyung got as close as he could, then tackled Yoongi, shielding Yoongi's head at the last minute before they hit the ground.

Silence. The chime played, but they stayed where they were, lying on top of each other. Eventually Taehyung felt Yoongi shaking and got up, worried that he had actually hurt him.

Yoongi was laughing.

"What's so funny?" Taehyung demanded.

"I looked at your stats," Yoongi said. "You lost so many battles, but you fought perfectly in this one. Isn't that insane?"

Taehyung rolled his eyes, standing and shaking himself off. "You got me soaking wet," he grumbled.

"You're a good fighter, X."

Taehyung felt the heat rise in his face again, and he turned away quickly, huffing. "I just have more experience. A good fighter would be higher in the rankings."

"Nah," Yoongi said. "A good fighter knows where he belongs."

Taehyung swallowed. That was the problem. He did know where he belonged. And it wasn't here, fighting with Yoongi. "I have to go," he said. "Homework."

"Okay. Maybe we could train together sometime?"

Taehyung hated the hope in Yoongi's voice. He stretched, turning back to Yoongi, and felt something inside him start to melt at the sparkle in Yoongi's eyes. Yoongi was a rookie, a new 10-K, practically a baby. How could he have wanted to defeat him so bad?
"Maybe," Taehyung said softly.

Then he ran out of the arena as fast as he could.

Thank you, @Raenathedutche . I almost forgot...