laography | once upon a dream

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once upon a dream

ALADDIN
BEAUTY & THE BEAST
HERCULES
LADY & THE TRAMP
THE LITTLE MERMAID
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
TANGLED

DISNEY AUPALOOZA

aka sisi and snow have no lives and too many sports.

[ There are few things that Ryousuke cherishes, could even say that he loved if he was pressed - admittedly, only if he was pressed persistently and possibly under threat of torture, but still. He's someone that loves competition, enjoys the sport of it as much he enjoys baseball itself. He loves winning, and being able to prove people wrong when they doubt him or underestimate his abilities. Teasing and heckling and needling people? Something he's made into a sport all on its own, and something he doubts he'll stop until he's in the grave for good.

But above all else, the one thing that's mattered the most to him ever since it came into his life, has been Kominato Haruichi. As the elder brother - especially when they had lost their parents - it's been his job to protect him, to set an example for his baby brother. Nothing else in this world matters as much as Haruichi, who is his everything, and he would do anything - despite all of his teasing and tough love to mask the softer affection much of the time - for him. Even if it meant giving up his soul in exchange for his life, after a gruesome accident left him dead before paramedics could even arrive on the scene.

Admittedly, Ryousuke is no fool. When you sign a contract, you look at the fine print, and he had sorted out something that would make it possible for him to be there while Haruichi grew up, rather than being dragged to hell in five to ten years, max. Apparently a soul like his was in high demand - who knew?

And then he'd met Kuramochi.

At first it'd just been for fun, fucking with him because he'd noticed him and they wound up in the right place and the right time after Kuramochi's unfortunate near-death. But what had been for his amusement became something else far too quickly for Ryousuke to know what to do with, and a good - if quick, as he lovingly teases - lay became much more very, very quickly. Love is a very, very dangerous thing, especially for someone that acts as a death god, a reaper, and who sits on a demon's leash. Haruichi is off limits to them, until he dies a very natural death at a ripe old age and gets reaped by someone far kinder with a more idyllic location in mind, but Kuramochi was an unexpected.

Ryousuke loves him, and, rather than let him die, risks that important everything just to keep him alive when he has that second brush with death. It's complicated, he doesn't like the unpleasantly pleasant feelings that come with thinking about him, being with him, but the thought of losing him quickly became just as painful as thinking about losing his brother.

It's why, once he senses his soul leaving his body, he practically kicks down the door to the room that he knows, knows knows knows, Youichi is in, ready to tear through whatever is there to breathe life back into him. But instead, he winds up sitting there in the middle of a rune trap, fingers threaded together so tight his knuckles turn white as he presses his fists to his mouth and just stares, for seven hours, at this foolish idiot that's deigned to kill himself and risk his immortal soul for a shinigami that started their relationship simply because he was bored and the mortal he'd come across reacted so hilariously (and charmingly) to every little tease he said.

And then, after seven excruciating hours, he doesn't need Kuramochi's swearing to know that he's done it. That ink-like feeling that comes with a demonic presence bleeds out of him, and he stares a wide-eyed stare at him as the pressure from the runes completely dissipates from him. It's like a lock suddenly being unlocked, and it's only sheer shock that keeps him from getting to his feet right away. But once it all hits him, like a freight train with a bright, ringing laugh, Ryousuke is on his feet and lunging at him, likely to the additional shock of the rest of the room. ] Youichi!

[ fuck, everything hurts like hell. that's youichi's first instinct as he ends up settling back into the chair with a dull thump, his chest heaving with breath as it all sort of hits him, too. his head is swimming and he can feel every single wound inflicted on him when he was down there, even as his body doesn't reflect the physical damage (not yet, anyway, kuramochi's sure it's gonna be a nightmare in twenty minutes or so.) he has no time to think anything but fuck, that hurt and ryo-san, and the latter of these two things comes to him just as kuramochi's head snaps up to find him.

it's gone. it's fixed. he barely processes it as ryousuke breaks free of miyuki's (admittedly very good) devil trap and lunges at him, because suddenly all he cares about is the fact that ryo-san is okay and that kuramochi's still clutching his contract in his hand.

he wheezes when ryousuke makes contact--he's not heavy but his body is still reeling from shock, and it's all kuramochi can do to pick up an arm and wrap it around his shoulder, pull him into the shitty chair with him and hold on tight. and then--and then he grins. kuramochi grins like a fucking hyena because it's what he always does, and he's exhausted and achy and in an unbelievable amount of pain but

when he lifts his hand in front of ryousuke's face to show him the contract, it's nothing but embers and ashes. a broken demon's contract, by sheer brute force--by love a little, maybe, because people do crazy things when they're in love, and what kuramochi just did could 100% be defined as crazy. ]

Ryo-san. [ he says, because it says more than "i did it" and "you're free" and "i love you" which are three things he wants to blurt out all at once. he did it for him, he did it for haruichi, because these two kominatos ensnared him tight--like his family. and he'd do it again. he'd do it a thousand times if it meant ryo-san would be cut free from his leash. ]

[ Maybe he should be a little more gentle with Kuramochi - after all, he just came back from hell, where hours amount to days, or even weeks if you're unlucky enough - but Ryousuke is feeling a little too desperate to really consider it. He'll make it up to him later, he figures, when he's more himself and he's not been sitting here for seven goddamn hours ignoring all attempts at small talk that Miyuki has sent his way. It had been easy to downgrade Jun's agitated loudness and Miyuki's snide commentary to background noise, especially when Tanba was severe and quiet by comparison. Even the later addition of Tetsu hadn't gotten him to talk, although something about the new arrival had left him feeling unsettled.

(Angelic, maybe. He's not sure, but he doesn't care.)

They disappear, though he doesn't know if it's because they leave or if it's because the world around them narrows down to just this one point. Kuramochi fucking grins, and it's a punch to the gut as he stares at him. The oily blackness that made up his eye color is all gone, leaving him with the Kominato pink until he can school his expression.

It's not going to be for a few minutes, but he doesn't care. Ryousuke brings his hands up and moves as if he's going to grab Kuramochi's face. He does, but it's only after he's given him a sound slap to both cheeks, sitting astride him so close that their chests are almost touching as he presses his forehead down into Kuramochi's. ]

You're an idiot. [ The words come out a little broken around the edges, but no less fond, even if there's layers of anger interwoven through it all. He's livid, has been for seven hours, but this. This is all that matters. ] You're so incomparably stupid that they're going to have to change the definition of it, Youichi.

[ kuramochi squawks a little bit when he gets slapped, mostly because it startles him but partially because he thinks his cheek is a little fucked up from getting banged around so much, but he's honestly so fucking thrilled it worked out okay, he doesn't care. yeah, he sort of died. yeah, he's going to have nightmares for years with all the shit he saw there. but every single step downstairs was worth the way ryousuke opens his eyes and looks at him and it's not a sliver of deep black, but the same rare pink as his brother. he's human, as human as kuramochi is (now, especially, because the temporary immortality he was gifted has officially been thrown to the wayside) and it's almost hard to believe. he can still feel the flames licking at his hand from where the contract had been, gone now, officially broken.

so, yeah. it was worth it. everything from the fighting to the scolding of a lifetime he's about to get from ryosan. it's worth it.

he ends up grinning a little further, letting ryousuke press their foreheads together and just grunting out a -- ] Yeah, Ryo-san. [ because he's definitely not wrong. kuramochi is definitely an idiot. but none of that matters because the smile he gives him is beatific when he ends up reaching up a calloused hand to cup his cheek back, a tattoo on his wrist still swirling and moving with the remains of the magic that had helped him win his fight. ]

Your eyes're awesome. [ he ends up saying, which is stupid, so stupid, and he doesn't even care, because they are and all he can do is grin like an idiot and drop his hand again to wrap both his arms around his waist. ]

[ Later, later he's going to take care of Kuramochi. He knows what it's like to go to hell, has been there numerous times since he signed that deal with the devil. But Ryousuke wasn't there to brawl with said devil, despite the very situation that had caused this to happen. Demonic injuries have a lot of staying power, even when they're not visible, and he can't help but thumb gently at his cheeks despite the fact he wants to keep slapping him, maybe punch him in the mouth for what he did.

He could have died permanently, and there would have been nothing that he could have done. No deal he could have wagered that didn't put Haruichi at risk. And isn't that something, when he has to stand between two things and decide what to do so that he can keep them both. He's been so used to Haruichi being the obvious choice for him that he didn't know what to do with Kuramochi at the start.

And now, here they are, and he tilts his cheek into that calloused hand, sliding both of his own back so that he can thread his fingers in the longer strands of hair at the back of his neck. ] If you didn't already kill yourself I would do it myself. [ He kisses him, firm and insistent and actually notably upset, and then continues. ] You made me wait here, for seven hours, with a group of idiots.

[ He kisses him again, leaning into it, agitated but relieved all at once. ] While your lifeless body got cold as you went downstairs to punch a fucking demon in the face. [ And another kiss, this time a little more wondrous, colored with disbelief. You did this for me, for me and Haruichi, for all of us. ] And all you can say is "your eyes are awesome?"

[ kuramochi is well aware of the fact that he deserves this treatment. frankly, getting slapped on both cheeks is a lot less of a punishment than he was expecting. after all, he didn't tell ryousuke he was going to have someone put magic in his tattoos. he definitely didn't tell him he was going to hell, either. it was a two day plan that hinged on the fact that the then death god was being worked to hell and back (literally) as punishment for what he did for kuramochi--if he had seen ryosan for more than ten minutes in the past two days, he probably would've been transparent. but mochi was a man on a mission, and his mission has left scorch marks on his palm as a souvenir of the sheer amount of power he clutched in his calloused hand.

death seemed worth it. hell, he'd figured if he couldn't beat the guy, he'd give up his life for ryosan. what's another dead punkass delinquent? he'd been biding his time long enough. his mom would've been sad, but kuramochi had gone in there fully ready for plan B, the bait and switch (where 'bait and switch' means 'ryosan goes free and i'm a servant of some demon in hell and really fucking dead'.) he's frankly still a little stunned that he's alive.

and a little stunned that ryousuke didn't end up murdering him himself with that bat of his. he sits there dazed while ryousuke kisses him at first, letting him lecture him and making little affirmative noises after each one. yes, he made him wait, yes, he sorry, yes, he punched a demon in the face (and a lot of other places), yes he was dumb and reckless and yes his mouth is stupid and says the wrong thing a lot.

but just--feeling all of these emotions from ryo is a lot. he ends up smiling at the end of the last kiss, his shoulders hunching up, cheeks flushing a familiar pink. ] Oi, cut me some slack! I just died, for the third friggin time! What do ya want, a love confession?

[ but he's smiling, and his arms tighten a little around ryousuke, until he ends up curling his fingers into the back of his shirt to hold him there, tight and close and alive and human. there's a heartbeat there, and he can feel it, and that's fucking incredible. ] Besides, none of that matters. You're free now, right?

[ and you get to live like you deserve to. ]

[ Tempted though he might be to kill Kuramochi, Ryousuke has effectively forgotten that his bat sits on the floor in the middle of an amped up devil's trap. He's going to probably have to break it, or have Miyuki break it, to get it back - unless it's reverted to its original state, too, but he has a feeling probably not. Magical artifacts tend to remain that way unless you break them, if he remembers correctly. But taking off his idiot boyfriend's head sounds like a great plan, and it might alleviate whatever pains he's having up there due to his field trip.

He's probably going to lecture him for the next year, at least. But he can smell the sulfur, and he felt the rough skin of his palm when he'd touched his face. He'd seen the burns as the contract crumbled into ash right in front of his eyes. The fact he's alive is a goddamn miracle, nevermind the fact that he's here at all. He knows Youichi, can predict what he's thinking or planning with relative ease, so he has a distinct feeling that a backup plan involved a sacrifice that would leave him tearing through hell.

It'd make him a hypocrite, probably, but Ryousuke cares very little about labels when he knows that he'd rather have that leash and Kuramochi alive and free than be free of it and have their positions reversed. Maybe he's a punkass delinquent, a tattooed biker with a wild grin and a manic cackle, but he belongs to the Kominatos now. He belongs to Ryousuke. ]

It would only be fair, you know. [ People always do crazy things, when they're in love. It had been a flippant comment, when his skin was a ghastly white that just made bruises and cuts and burns darker, more vivid, smiling serenely up at Kuramochi as he fumed and asked him what had happened the moment they'd seen each other after their respective releases. But it had been worth it, in the end, to keep Kuramochi alive. Selfish, maybe, but worth it and the days of exhausting work.

His fingers comb through his dark hair, from the stupid duckbutt back into the mullet, smoothing it back in an absently fond gesture. It's reassurance for himself, in a way, just as much as it's a reminder for them both. Especially when he can feel the thrum of two hearts, now, instead of just the wild one that he always pressed his hand to before. Shinigami aren't meant to have hearts, so it's even more proof. ] The contract has been destroyed, so yes. I am.

So that's all that matters, then. [ kuramochi ends up huffing that a little, his cheeks flushing just faintly at the thought of saying something kinda gooey and mushy like that with miyucky in the same room (ugh, he'd never let him live it down)--not that he doesn't mean it, though. he and ryo-san have never really been ones for feelings, not out loud. it was the quiet things, the way mochi ended up tittering around a little before he leaned over and kissed ryousuke's forehead before he scooted out of his apartment for work, that ryousuke made him dinner even though he was terrible at it (and kuramochi ate it). it's jumping headfirst into hell to free him without even hesitating.

(and he would, really, do it again.)

ryousuke's fingers feel nice in his hair, and for a minute, the desire to go home hits him like a freight train. he wants to sleep for nine years. and maybe eat eight bowls of rice all at once. and some pizza. going to hell is exhausting and the bags under his eyes aren't going anywhere anytime soon, but the sound of that heartbeat pressed up against his chest makes every single bit of it okay again. he didn't know if it was going to work out--wasn't sure if he'd get to see ryousuke again.

he didn't even get to say goodbye. half of that was what fueled him--he couldn't just leave like that, with no warning or parting words. he loved ryousuke too much to hurt him that badly--though self sacrifice wasn't off the table--and he knew just as well as anyone that his heart wasn't fragile, but his love was hard earned, and like hell he was letting it go that soon.

finally pulling away a little, kuramochi drops his forehead to rest on ryo's small shoulder and breathes in. the faint ashy smell that's usually around ryo-san is gone now. (kuramochi supposes he makes up for it.) ] If you're gonna kill me for this, can you at least let me go feed some orphans or somethin' so I don't end up back in there?

[ it's a little bit of a joke. like 75%. mostly because it wouldn't surprise him if ryou did kill him for this-- still, his body betrays him and he curls his arm further into his back, not giving a single fuck about the other occupants of the room for a little longer. ]

Mm. [ A small bit of pleasure ripples through the storm of emotions that's built up in him, in response to seeing Kuramochi flushing like that. Ryousuke delights in teasing him until he blushes, although it certainly isn't nearly as hard as most people would assume with the way his delinquent biker tends to act. All bark, no bite - except here is the evidence of his bite, in his hands and on his body and that spark in his eyes when a fight he stands for rears its head.

Offset by gentle hands combing through his hair in the morning when he thinks Ryousuke is still asleep, and how he treats Haruichi like his own, and how he never leaves without saying goodbye, even when he's in a hurry.

That, that is what would have broken him, he thinks. He never got to say goodbye to his parents, he wouldn't have gotten to say goodbye to Haruichi if he hadn't signed his soul away, and this time he wouldn't have gotten to say goodbye to Youichi if the moron hadn't come back swinging. Between the fact that he did this at all, that he risked his all to free him, and this...

Gently, he cradles the back of his skull in both hands as Kuramochi drops his forehead onto his shoulder. Despite the fact that there's still other people in the room, Ryousuke doesn't hesitate to kiss the side of his head, burying his nose near his ear and sighing deeply, breathing him in. The sulfur is there, but he has every intention of scrubbing him down and massaging out the aches and pains when they're alone again, when they're home. ]

Sorry, it's going to take a lot more groveling before I take you to an orphanage. [ His tone is lofty, but soft, and he stays as close as he can for that moment longer. There's a heart thrumming in his chest, he can feel the way it expands and contracts with each breath, can feel the gust of breath each time he talks in their enclosed space. He's alive, he's okay. Gentling his fingers through his hair one last time, he tucks his head down so that he can press his nose into his cheek, cupping the other one in the palm of his hand.

Quietly, only for Youichi, he turns his accidental petname around on him in a murmur: ] Let's go home, babe.

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