Work Text:
Peel the scars from off my back
I don't need them anymore
You can throw them out or keep them in your mason jars
I've come home
The moment Alex sets foot outside the plane, he takes a deep breath. Inhales the Japanese air, lets it fill his lungs, takes in everything he can. He’s back where he was always supposed to be.
The ride to the arena passes in a blur. Alex watches the buildings fly past, a swirl of colors and concrete, and when the car comes to a stop he’s snapped out of his reverie by the driver. He scrambles to get his bags and when the car leaves, he just stands there, looking up at the building where he’ll finally be making his return to a New Japan ring. It had been a long and winding road to get there, and when he thought he was finally on the right track, he’d gotten injured again. Karma’s a bitch, Alex thinks, but he’s not about to let that get to him.
Not when he knows who’s waiting for him inside the arena.
He pushes the doors open, and comes face to face with Sho Tanaka, a broom in his hand.
“Alex!!!” Sho exclaims, his whole face lighting up.
“Hey man” Has it really been that long? “You’re on sweeping duty today?”
“Ah, yeah. And I have a match too! Teaming up with Yohei and Shibata!” Sho smiles, and Alex can tell how excited he is.
“Kill it, man. I know you can. Don’t let Shibata push you around too much, alright?” Alex says, and he pats Sho on the shoulder before making his way to the locker room area.
There, he steels himself before knocking on the door, and the moment he does, he hears a scuffle inside, quick footsteps, and he barely has the time to set a foot inside before his bags are knocked out of his hands and he’s engulfed in the tightest hug he’s ever received.
“You’re here.”
“I’m here.”
For a moment, they just stay there like that. Wrapped in each other’s arms, breathing in everything about the other, everything they’ve missed, everything they need.
The air that sweeps between them when they take a step back feels ice cold on Alex’s skin.
He wishes he could bottle up the warmth of the smile Kushida gives him, and carry it close to his heart.
“Look at you! Looking good.” Kushida says, and Alex lowers his hand and runs a hand through his hair, trying to hide the blush that spreads across his face. How Kushida still has that effect on him, even after three years, he has no idea.
“I still can’t believe you dyed your hair back to black after all the trouble I went through last time to help you bleach it.” Kushida chuckles as he says that, and Alex blushes even more when he remembers the disaster that almost was. “But I’ve already told you, I like the new style. Makes you you look like an Old Hollywood actor.”
“Oh god.” Alex is still staring at the floor, and he can feel the heat in his face a little too much. He has to look up though, if only because he hasn’t seen Kushida in a month and he wants to make the most of the time they have before they get caught up in the excitement of the tour.
When Alex finally raises his head, Kushida is still smiling at him, and he looks more beautiful than ever. Alex knows that he always thinks that everytime he sees Kushida, but he also thinks it’s always true. Kushida is radiant.
Alex can’t help himself any longer.
He steps closer to Kushida and puts his hands on either side of Kushida’s neck, and smiles when their foreheads bump together. It takes a second to close the gap, and finally they’re kissing, and it feels like coming home.
Kushida pushes back a bit, wrapping his arms around Alex’s waist and deepening the kiss, like he’s trying to make up for a month of being apart. Alex doesn’t complain.
They’re a little breathless when they pull away, and Kushida drops his head on Alex’s shoulder and hugs him tightly again, like he’s afraid Alex is going to go and get himself injured again if he stops holding him. Alex doesn’t mind it though. Being in Kushida’s arms is surely the best way to feel safe.
“Did you have a good flight?” Kushida mumbles against Alex’s neck. “Not too long?”
“It always feels longer towards the end. Like, I’m there, but not quite? But it was good yeah.” Alex replies, setting a hand at the top of Kushida’s neck to pet the short, soft hair there. “Always feels good when it ends, though. I know I’m closer than ever to the people and place I love, so.”
Kushida smiles and huffs, sending out a little blow of air that tickles Alex’s neck.
He stands up straight and grabs Alex’s hand, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
“Come. I want to show you something.”
Kushida leads him out of the locker room all the way to the main room, which is now deserted. Chairs are neatly arranged around the ring, which stands proudly, ready to have history made between its ropes. Kushida climbs on the ring and sits on the middle rope, holding it open.
“Come in!”
Alex looks at Kushida like he’s just seen a UFO.
“Why are you being so chivalrous all of a sudden?”
“I just feel like it.” Kushida says, holding out a hand for Alex to take.
He does, and when he steps between the ropes and in the ring, Kushida joins him, slipping a hand in his and lacing their fingers together.
“Alex...” he starts, solemnly “Everything the light touches is our kingdom.” Kushida barely finishes his sentence before he starts giggling, and he’s so adorable that Alex has to place a hand on his chest to ensure his heart isn’t going to jump out.
“We’ve conquered so many adversaries in this ring, together or apart. And I know we’ll continue to do it. There’s no ocean or injury that can stop us.” Kushida squeezes his hand, and Alex feels his eyes start to prickle, takes a deep breath to stop himself from crying. “No matter what happened… you always came back to me. And I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am. I’m ready for the next chapter in our story”
The tears are definitely coming now, and Alex gives up any attempt at stopping them as he steps closer to Kushida, their hands still firmly intertwined.
“We’re travellers,” he says, his voice breaking a little more with each syllable. “But no matter how far they go, travellers always come back home.” He’s facing Kushida now, looking at him like he holds the solution to every doubt Alex has ever had. “So, I’ve come home.”
In that moment, in the center of the ring, nothing else feels like it matters anymore. So Alex throws caution to the wind and takes the step forward to kiss Kushida, and it’s soft and electric all at once, like an affirmation wrapped in a promise.
The future will always be theirs for the taking.