[Fic] Moving Down the Streams of My Lifetime

[branchandroot]

Cross-post from my archive.

Fandom/Arc: Standalone, Yami no Matsuei
Characters/Pairings: Sohryu, Sohryu/Tsuzuki, Tsuzuki Asato
Summary: Sohryu frets over Tsuzuki's safety and does what he can to protect him. Written for Porn Battle, with the prompt: Souryuu/Tsuzuki, protecting what's most precious.
Meta: Drama with Porn, I-3
Wordcount: 675

He was a fool, Sohryu decided as he swept Tsuzuki up, folding his master in strong arms and soft layers of cloth, safe the way he always should be.

---

Moving Down the Streams of My Lifetime

"You really don’t have to worry about Hisoka," Tsuzuki assured Sohryu, tagging anxiously after the dragon back to his rooms.

"He’s ill omened," Sohryu snapped, glaring straight ahead. When was Tsuzuki going to start learning how to be careful?

"I’m sure it wasn’t him," Tsuzuki persisted, following through the fountain room.

Never was clearly the answer to Sohryu’s question, and he sighed. Neither of his children had given him a quarter as much trouble as his master. He rounded on Tsuzuki, hems flaring out with the speed of his movement, and caught the man’s shoulders. "Have better care for yourself," he scolded. "This world is not as well protected as it once was."

Tsuzuki stood still and trusting between his hands, smiling. "But you’re still here."

Sohryu fought not to slump in defeat. Had he done his job too well? Was that why his master wandered around in this mooncalf innocence?

But he could hardly do less. Not for Tsuzuki.

A hand touched his chest and he looked up to find Tsuzuki smiling more softly. "It will be all right. Believe me."

Sohryu looked aside. "All right," he muttered, finally.

Tsuzuki made a happy sound and promptly hugged him.

Sohryu snorted and crooked his fingers at the door to bid the lock turn. He should never have let Tsuzuki get the idea that it was all right to be so familiar with him, even in private. And, to be honest, he knew that one bark of reprimand would make his master back away, conciliatory.

But then Tsuzuki would look at him with sad eyes.

He was a fool, Sohryu decided as he swept Tsuzuki up, folding his master in strong arms and soft layers of cloth, safe the way he always should be. He settled Tsuzuki against the cushions of his bed and wrapped himself around him, hair slipping down to shield Tsuzuki from everything outside.

"You’ve been sleeping poorly," he stated, fingers tracing the faint shadows under Tsuzuki’s eyes.

"I can’t stop thinking about some of our recent cases," Tsuzuki admitted, mouth tightening.

"Hm." There were several ways to deal with that, but it would take some time to produce enough sweets to do it. In the meantime, Sohryu supposed he could use the other way all the shikigami shared. He set his fingers under Tsuzuki’s chin and lifted it, kissing Tsuzuki firmly. Tsuzuki gasped, hands tightening on Sohryu’s sleeves for a moment before relaxing. His lips parted and he made a soft sound as Sohryu’s tongue swept into his mouth.

Sohryu undressed Tsuzuki swiftly and undid his own sashes, shedding the layers of his robes with a shrug the better to wind around Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki was pliant for him, skin flushed and eyes hazy, and Sohryu thought that Tsuzuki wanted the peace of exhaustion as much as Sohryu wanted to secure him that peace.

He slid into Tsuzuki on long, slow thrusts and Tsuzuki made breathless little moans each time, legs straining wider until Sohryu’s hands kneaded down them gently. "Relax," he told his master. "You say I’ll take care of things. So let me."

Tsuzuki’s smile was sweet and fragile and Sohryu gathered him up, kissing him with passion and concentration until he cried out.

When Tsuzuki finally stilled in his arms Sohryu stroked back his damp hair and brushed a kiss over his forehead. "Sleep," he whispered, weaving his power into the command, and felt Tsuzuki catch hold of the magic, climbing down it into rest. He sighed with a shade of relief; that only ever worked when Tsuzuki let it, and he could be so foolishly stubborn sometimes.

He watched Tsuzuki sleep, stroking his forehead to smooth the lines away, tender here as he could not afford to be outside the doors. Whatever it took to protect Tsuzuki, he would do it. He’d known that from the first.

Whatever it took.

End

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_neith_/]

Interesting post.

Fanfiction is not the place where I look for realism -- at least not as far as prejudice and coming out issues goes. There are plenty of stories which have dealt with the subject quite well, but it's not something I expect in every slash fic. Say, if I am reading a story about Atobe and Tezuka (oooh, now there's a a thought...), I'm more interested in seeing them interact in a way that is true to their characters rather than what it's like being a gay person in Japan.

That said, it does put me off a story a bit if it's an ensemble piece where every single character is gay. That's when my brain kicks in and says, "Hey, it's a queer world, but not *that* queer." Of course, if you're writing Tenipuri fic, you've got close to an all-male cast, so there's no surprise that nearly all romance fic in that fandom is yaoi. Not to mention the fact that the boys exhibit more interest in each other playing with balls playing tennis than girls.

According to what eyewitness reports I have been able to gather, this inscription of the American Closet onto Japanese characters is almost as unrealistic as my own setting of choice. As the assumptions about romance and marriage and sex are different in Japan than they are in the US, so, too, is the shape of gayness and the closet.

Yes, that's another thing. Asian society is different from Western. Being gay in Japan would not be the same experience as being gay in the US or my country. So, any way you look at it, you wouldn't be able to write realistically what it's like (unless you're Japanese or familiar with the culture.)

I also agree with you that it's nicer to read about an utopian world. Real life can be depressing enough as is.

[branchandroot]

Ok, my mind has hit the gutter, tonight, and I'm sniggering helplessly over the playing with balls thing.

[q-sama.livejournal.com]

So, is there some use to writing Real Gay Issues (tm) when slashing anime characters? Or is it really just done for the sake of cheap angst?

Good question. Personally, I like to write things I'm familiar with, and a lot of it (in the anime & slash fandoms) deals with coming-of-age situations like sexuality. But on the other hand, since the only slash I've written for anime involves non-Japanese characters (Gundam Wing, one slash Marmalade Boy fic featuring the American character) I feel a little more comfortable imposing my own social standards on it.

But then - I don't *feel* like I'm writing angsty fics, so maybe I've misinterpreted all together, and I am using Americanized Gay Issues to make my readers wallow. Gah. Now I'll NEVER finish that horrible fic!! >_

[branchandroot]

Oh, no, don't let me stall you!

I have seen sexual coming-of-age stories done without focusing on angst. It just seems that the majority of stories that make a point of the characters being gay use it as an occasion for a fairly cliched set of character reactions. (Eg, OMG, I'm gay!!!, or Horrors, my son is gay!!!, or Alas, he'll never love me because I'm a boy!!!) I don't recall you being guilty of any of those. ^_-

[prismgecko.livejournal.com]

I think if a story is written with the prejudices and mores of of its setting in mind, Real Gay Issues (tm) can be interesting and entertaining. The same goes for stories featuring optimistic, uncloseted homosexual relationships. But projecting one's own views onto an established universe, whatever those views may be, usually turns me off. If sexual relationships are not a prominent feature of the universe the story's written in ---Fullmetal Alchemist for an example--- then I think the writer's pretty much free to do whatever he or she wants.
In regards to Western versus Eastern perceptions of homosexuality, it's true that historically Japan has been much more open to same-sex relationships. However, articles I've read indicate that the Japanese attitude towards sexuality in general changed drastically after exposure to Western cultures and religions; when Japan began modelling its armies and educational system after nations like Germany and Britain in the early 20th century. I'm sure someone knows a lot more about this than I do... ^^;; Japan definitely adopted more puritanical standards in that period and homosexuality was frowned upon by the government as morally disruptive. That long history of acceptance still influenced the public's beliefs, though, so the subject is pretty complex. Realistically writing about a gay relationship set in modern, normal Japan would probably be difficult.

I apologize for my babbling. It's just so interesting! ^^;;

Myself, I enjoy the 'good propaganda' as long as it doesn't seriously interfere with the protagonists' character. :D

[branchandroot]

*nodnod* Agreement on all counts. Especially the gotten-really-complex part. A whole bunch of different imperatives are all pulling the issue in different directions.

Actually, the importation/absorption of Western ideas about romance and sexuality in general is a really fascinating field of study.

[krichira.livejournal.com]

Or is it really just done for the sake of cheap angst?
Well, sadly, I've seen quite a bit of those in anime fanfiction. However, I've seen fanfics that fits the issue pretty well into the plot. Usually, if the characters seem rather hetero in the anime, and if the setting is one that might be not-so-gay-tolerant, then having the Real Gay Issues worked into the storyline is actually pretty good. Sometimes, not realistic (because, as you said, different for different societies, so unless a lot of us live in Tokyo...) but it makes storyline flow more believably. Sometimes, it helps with the characterization too...

When it comes to slash fiction, well that's different entirely. Real Gay Issues - so much more realistic then.

[branchandroot]

*thoughtful nod* You know, that's one of the more interesting issues of writing from a cross-cultural canon for a domestic fandom. How one targets the cultural references, that is, to what the fandom (and presumably author) will understand best, or to the author's outsider's understanding of the root culture.