Pain blossoms through each of his limbs, but it's quieted by the adrenaline in his bloodstream. With his new white strap craddled against his chest, like he's afraid it'll DISAPPEAR if he loosens his grip, Kota I.bushi feels like he could take on the whole world and BE THE LAST ONE STANDING. Though, that's usually what it felt like when facing the likes of T.etsuya Naito. Naito is mentally and bodily tough, resilient. He's an asshole who acts like he doesn't care but actually cares SO MUCH he puts his heart, body, and soul on the line. Kota ADMIRES him for it --- but he's still a pain in the ass.
With his new white strap pressed to his beating heart, Kota feels REBIRTHED. A golden phoenix whose found new life. Things aren't perfect. They haven't been for A WHILE - but the future looks bright. The future looks WHITE with pure leather around his waist. He's no idea where to go from here - but he knows he's not losing this title for a long, long time.
There's something buzzing in the air as he walks to the back. It's not the euphoria of a great match, or the general excitement of the night. It's different, it's aimed at him, and if he wasn't buzzing with his own brand of joy, he'd be WORRIED. It's been a bad night for LIJ all around, who knows what they'd be getting up to. EXHAUSTED, clumsy steps are taken into his locker room, and his curiosity is finally answered. Bright blonde curls, light eyes, welcoming arms - Kota's heart nearly beats its way out of his chest with how hard it's going. Kota FALLS into him. Sweat, championship, or exhaustion be DAMNED - he CLINGS to his golden lover, here and in the flesh. It's been so long since they've last seen each other, since they've last spoken, Kota worried it'd been punctuated with unwanted finalty. But he's HERE - Kenny's really here, even if it feels like a dream.
❝ KENNY-CHAN. ❞ He's choked up, words muffled into Omega's thick shoulder, refusing to move even enough to speak. Tears build against his eyelids, slipping through the cracks, and he squeezes them tighter. He doesn't want to cry, but he's already so OVERWHELMED, overcome with emotion. ❝ Kenny-chan, I've missed you so much. ❞ He finally leans back, both hands framing the side of Kenny's face, holding him still as eyes flicker over his features. He looks healthy and happy - Kota's so distracted by how good he looks, he almost doesn't catch himself leaning in for a kiss. But he stops close to Kenny's mouth, and makes up for his fumble by resting his forehead against his partner's. ❝ What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me? ❞