Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, as we all know... hell, none of us do on this site! ;
Warnings: Hayate x Ryu, kissing and ooc-ness
Something that sprang to mind when I found out that Ryu gains 8 kilos between the third and fourth tournament.
They… they couldn't be… I'm imagining it, right…? It couldn't possibly be…!
Hayabusa Ryu gawked as he was, once again, able to grab a reasonable amount of flesh just above his hips and pull it. Love handles. It took all of his self-restraint not to scream in pure horror. Since when did ninja have love handles! It was simply… unthinkable! Hayate didn't have love handles! Kasumi and Ayane wouldn't have been able to have love handles and still fit into their outfits! But… he did!
You're kidding...!
Alright, so the regularity of his training had become a little lax since the ending of the third tournament… and he probably wasn't doing as much of it as he should have, but…
LOVE HANDLES!
But this was just ridiculous!
The extra flesh was only noticeable when his upper frame was completely bare, and you would have had to have known his body pretty well to pick it. He looked as attractive and fit as ever to most… but Ryu could see it. He could see it well and, to him and only him, he looked…
I'm OBESE!
He looked…
'Ryu?'
Ryu raised his gaze to the doorway, blinking and quickly reaching for his shirt to cover his, self-dubbed "flab". Hayate stepped in from the hallway and hesitated. 'Since when did you cover up so rapidly? I mean, it's nothing I haven't seen before.' A hint of lechery stole into the shinobi's smile.
A hot blush coloured Ryu's cheeks as he fought to pull his shirt on without flashing too much. The young super ninja had never been wholly confident in his appearance; his self-esteem was far lower then what was healthy, but he wasn't ashamed of it. His body was always trim and taught; before he had muscles, he was slim.
WAS!
'What's up, Ryu-chan? You look upset.' A few strides across the room and Hayate was in front of his lover, resting worn hands on his hips.
Ryu settled for a moment, before recalling the source of his distress. He jumped back.
'Y-y-y-y-you don't have to worry!'
He knew it was a pitiful attempt to hide his distress as soon as it passed his lips. Hayate raised a neatly curved eyebrow, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Not many things stressed Ryu, and the notion of something worrying him caused Hayate to wish nothing more then to dispel it immediately for his beloved. Though, that could only be achieved by working out just what was on his mind.
'You've never jumped away from me like that; something's on your mind. Talk to me.'
Ryu hesitated; did he really want Hayate to know that he was gaining weight? No, of course he didn't. Then, on the flip-side of the coin, he didn't want Hayate to find out for himself.
'I'm…' More hesitation.
Taking Hayate's hand and squeezing his eyes shut, he placed the ginger-haired shinobi's hand on his hip, coaxing him to take hold of the offending fat.
Hayate raised both of his eyebrows this time, looking at the distraught expression on his partner's face.
'You've got a bit of extra flesh… and it's worrying you so?'
A slight nod as Ryu looked away, his cheeks, once again, bright red. A soft kiss on his temple coaxed him to return his gaze to Hayate's face. 'You're still as gorgeous as ever. It's not a crime for you to have taken a bit of a break; you haven't let your ninjutsu slip entirely, don't let it faze you so.'
'But-' He was cut off abruptly.
'No. If it means so much to you, we'll increase your training and get you back up to your personal standards, but until then, forget it.'
'But-!'
Hayate shook his head, silencing Ryu once again.
'No buts.'
'Hayate, I'm obe-!'
A short, but ever-so sweet kiss ensured the rest of the sentence died on Ryu's supple lips, hands immediately resting on Hayate's shoulders for support.
When they pulled back, Ryu couldn't quite recall what he had been attempting to convince his lover. A victory on Hayate's part.
The taller ninja took that quiet moment to reflect; it was true that he'd never heard of normal shinobi with love handles…
Then again, Ryu was far from a normal shinobi.
He was a super ninja, complete with love handles.
Reviews are welcome, of course, but if you plan on flaming me because you don't like my writing or this pairing, etc. ... well, I'm sure you realize how sad that is.