Birthday fic for Zebra! (Posted on his actual birthday this time; shocking, I know.) Well, that's what I meant it to be originally, but I think it got away from me a bit…

Anyway, many thanks to DancingGrimm for the prompt that inspired this fic in the first place!

a speeding heart

It was nothing like Komatsu expected, this moment: the Four Heavenly Kings coming together at last. The hope had begun sprouting at the back of his mind after their time in the Gourmet Pyramid, taking seed and growing slowly now he'd met all four, somehow befriended all four, come to adore all of them in equal measure.

But he'd always assumed such a reunion would happen when they were on the very cusp of entering the Gourmet World, about to experience a whole new level of adventure – a prospect that still frightened Komatsu deep, deep down, but the fear loosened its grip on his heart the longer he spent out in the field with Toriko, with Coco and Sunny and Zebra, never failing to make him feel safe – but here they were. Still in the Human World, drawn together by a challenge from the IGO President. Komatsu hadn't even realized how much sway Ichiryuu held over the Kings until now, even if Zebra insisted he was only there to eat.

It was nothing like Komatsu expected but thrilled him nonetheless. Though he'd have given really quite a lot to see the Kings working together, Komatsu supposed there was only so much he could hope for from their first gathering. And so, despite their potential for teamwork immediately dissolving into some sort of childish competition in one-upmanship, Komatsu decided that stepping back and letting this play out as it would – with as little inter-King violence as possible, if he could help it – was all he could do.

If this hunt went well, if this gave his friends the chance to reacclimatize themselves to each other even the tiniest bit, then the next time might be smoother sailing, and the time after that easier still. Eventually the Kings would learn to work as a team again. Komatsu would do his best to see it happen.

The six of them stood on the frozen surface of Pot Pond, and for a split second Komatsu thought they might actually stay together, match or not. But Rin attached herself to Toriko and started dragging him away, both her arms wrapped around Toriko's own and body pressed close to his side. Komatsu heard his partner huff out a sigh and protest half-heartedly as he allowed the eager beast tamer to lead him away from the group. Toriko glanced over his shoulder just long enough to cast an apologetic grin in Komatsu's direction and then set about trying to pry himself from Rin's grip without hurting her as they headed further across the Pond.

Komatsu watched their retreating backs, laughing as Rin's high, happy voice echoed through the open space. He would hardly begrudge her this; he kept monopolizing not only Toriko but her brother as well, couldn't help feeling guilty for it even though he remained helpless to explain why the two bishokuya thought so highly of him in the first place. Sharing his partner when there were three other Kings around wasn't exactly going to put him in any danger.

He startled at the sudden oppressive aura behind him, a mixture of familiar – if less potent – intimidations. Swinging around to see what the remaining bishokuya had managed to get up to while his attention was elsewhere, Komatsu slipped, arms wheeling frantically to keep from landing ass first on the ice, and then decided he may as well sit down anyway because his knees had turned to jelly.

The tension as Coco, Sunny, and Zebra faced off was palpable, thick enough for Komatsu to cut with his knife, oppressive enough for his skin to break out in goose bumps despite his winter clothing. They stared each other down, Zebra's arms crossed and lips drawn back in a silent snarl, Sunny's fists resting on his cocked hips, hair whipping restlessly through the air. Coco looked calm but for a certain darkening of his eyes, and Komatsu swore he caught a glimpse of his ghostly intimidation flickering into existence and disappearing just as quickly.

Komatsu had been sure they'd simply split up like Toriko and Rin, that he'd accompany whoever reached out and grabbed him as they passed by. So what were they fighting about now?

Sunny leaned forward, sticking his head and shoulders into Zebra and Coco's personal space. "Matsu is comin' with me!"

Oh.

Oh, damn.

"Fuck off, Sunny. The kid is with me today!" Zebra growled, sneering as he used his impressive height to tower over the smallest King. Sunny stepped even closer, clearly unintimidated.

"Perhaps," Coco interrupted, "Komatsu-kun would like to have a say in the matter?"

The three turned to look at him, and Komatsu's mind promptly screeched to a halt. His intention was to bring the Heavenly Kings together, but his presence only seemed to be sparking further disagreement between them. Worse, there was no way to pick one of his friends without leaving the other two disappointed and hurt and that was the very last thing Komatsu wanted.

As his brain frantically searched for an option that would satisfy everyone, Komatsu stuttered, "I…I don't…I can't…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Then again, I suppose making Komatsu-kun choose is unfair," Coco said, tuning in to Komatsu's dilemma at once. "Since he has no preference, should we solve this as we used to?"

"Heh, could be interesting." Zebra shuffled back, as did Sunny, reluctantly.

"Fine. But you better not cheat, Coco!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Coco said, deadpan, but his mouth curled wickedly and Komatsu wonder just where exactly this was going.

Did the Kings have some sort of system worked out for solving disputes non-violently? Or did 'the way we used to' simply mean they were going to get into a physical fight? Komatsu found it hard to imagine Coco letting himself be dragged into a scuffle, mild and well-mannered as he was. But all three were curling their hands into fists, raising them high – it certainly looked as if they were about to throw punches.

Komatsu braced his feet more steadily on the ice, ready to throw himself into the middle of their standoff and pray the bishokuya would stop for his sake. But despite the tension ratcheting up to nearly unbearable levels, it seemed those fists were not for punching after all; it happened almost more quickly than Komatsu could follow, their arms blurring into motion, rising and falling in four jerky movements, and when it was over Komatsu scarcely believed what his eyes were telling him.

Scissors, scissors, rock.

Zebra threw back his head and roared with laughter at his victory.

"Go'damn it!" Sunny swore, hair drooping and hand falling to his side. "Nex' time, Matsu," he promised, and then strode off across Pot Pond, muttering under his breath about shitty scarred bastards but sounding more put out than angry.

Coco visibly softened, smiling at Komatsu when the chef caught his eye. "Be careful, Komatsu-kun. We'll meet up sooner rather than later, I'm sure."

"I promise. Bye bye, Coco-san."

Coco nodded and set off, but not before quirking a knowing grin at Zebra. "Have fun."

"Shut yer mouth," Zebra snapped.

The poisonous bishokuya just waved as he walked away. Komatsu waved back until Coco was nothing but a distant black smudge.

"Fuckin' Coco," Zebra grumbled as Komatsu trotted over to his side. "He let me win. Getting cocky 'cause he thinks he's so smart…I'm gonna kick his ass later."

Personally, Komatsu didn't understand how Coco allowing Zebra to win a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors was worth an ass kicking, but he couldn't quite bring himself to say it out loud. But he was wondering why Coco would do so in the first place, and he figured it was a safer thing to ask. "Why did Coco-san let you win, though?"

"Probably his idea of an early present," Zebra snorted.

That's right, Zebra's birthday was only a few weeks away. They began skirting around the edge of the Pond, Zebra leading and Komatsu following as he usually did, not sure what Zebra's plan was but knowing he'd find out soon enough. "Will you be around? For your birthday, I mean."

"Who the hell knows."

But Komatsu had a feeling Zebra would be around, that he'd show up on Komatsu's doorstep without warning now he'd mentioned it – and that was perfectly fine with Komatsu. When they left Pot Pond, he'd start making plans, maybe try reserving his restaurant for the evening. God knew they were well used to Heavenly Kings taking over the place…

That came later. Right now, Komatsu found himself a little stuck on having just witnessed what had to be the strangest, scariest game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in history. Hilarious, too, now that it was over; when considering the Heavenly Kings, four of the most powerful bishokuya in the world, a children's game was not exactly what you'd expect when it came to problem solving. There was a story behind this, Komatsu was sure of it.

"What's with the…?" Komatsu jerked his arm to indicate what he meant, and Zebra smirked.

"It's just something Toriko came up with when we were kids. The old man got fed up because we wouldn't stop fighting and beat the shit out of us." Zebra shrugged at Komatsu's choked off sound of surprise. "Gotta admit the bastard is strong…I didn't care, but the other three wanted to avoid another round of the old man's fists."

"So Toriko-san came up with an easy way to work out minor disputes." Komatsu was grinning widely, for two reasons – he doubted this would ever stop being funny, and he'd gotten another small glimpse into the Kings' past, which hardly ever seemed to happen. There were years of fraught history between them, and Komatsu felt an odd, unabating need to hear it all; how could he bring the Kings together when he didn't know what separated them in the first place?

"Oi, kid," Zebra said, pulling Komatsu from his…musing? Plotting? Could he call it plotting when he didn't have a plan? "Has Toriko added anything new to his Full Course?"

Komatsu swallowed thickly, breath catching briefly in his throat. He'd been waiting for this. "N-no. Not yet. I think Toriko-san might be keeping his Full Course open for the Gourmet World, or something along those lines."

Zebra frowned at him, the relaxed line of his shoulders going tense. "Hmph, he's just putting it off because he knows he's gonna lose."

No, Komatsu thought. It's the complete opposite.

He remembered: Chief Manam's confusion, exchanging grins with his partner, Toriko's quiet That Zebra like a private joke, like a secret. There were more moments, plenty more just the same, and Komatsu wondered if the best answer (no, the only answer) to their final condition meant no one had to lose. And he couldn't forget the other things, important things, like Sunny's blatant interest and the flawlessness of Team Toriko-Coco-Komatsu.

But this conclusion, the most complicated of all, would take time to reach. Time and effort.

Toriko was waiting for the Gourmet World, but he was waiting for Komatsu too. Waiting for him to work whatever magic brought them all here today. Waiting for him to make it permanent.

Komatsu slid a little closer to Zebra, taking advantage of the slippery ice to make it look accidental. "No need to rush, Zebra-san. There are so many incredible, unknown ingredients to uncover…and Toriko-san and I aren't going anywhere without the rest of you." His heart was speeding slightly, pulse edging fractionally higher as the heat that rolled off Zebra like a furnace sank into his bones. "We can find them together, all of us. I know we can!"

He was so caught up in his rising excitement that he misread the strain broadcast by Zebra's body, taking it as a prelude to an argument. Because I want to stay with everyone was what he meant to say, but Komatsu really slipped this time, staggering and unbalanced by a particularly slick patch of ice. Komatsu's hands shot out to grab the nearest anything to steady himself and found he had a tight grip on Zebra's pants. The bishokuya caught him by the scuff of his jacket, rough and warm and heavy and as shockingly gentle as Zebra always was when handling him physically.

And oh, Komatsu had missed him. Badly, perhaps even more than he'd realized until this very second. He'd spent the last few months getting into all sorts of trouble with Toriko and Sunny and Coco and loving it – that was something he could no longer deny; he'd come to crave the danger the Kings nearly drowned him in and didn't ever want it to stop, no matter how often he insisted they should just pack up and head home when things got really risky – but Zebra was always elsewhere, capturing criminals, discovering new ingredients at a truly genius pace. Fulfilling their promise and creating a Full Course that would rival Toriko's (probably even match it, which is what Komatsu was hoping for, fingers crossed). The grip on his jacket shifted to a supporting weight across his shoulders, and, heart beating faster still, Komatsu blurted out, "I'm really, really happy you came, Zebra-san."

What he certainly hadn't imagined was Zebra snarling in anger and pressing him down against the ice. The back of Komatsu's head ached with the cold, and the chill quickly crept through his padded jacket but there were more pressing matters to deal with, like how intensely furious Zebra was. The bishokuya's fingers crushed the ice a mere inch away from his cheek. He should be afraid, a distant part of Komatsu's brain informed him, and his eyes widened in shock. But he wasn't afraid, not really, comfortable in his surety that Zebra didn't intend to hurt him. Komatsu just wanted to know what he'd done to upset Zebra so terribly.

"Liar!" Zebra spat, their noses nearly touching as he shoved his way into Komatsu's personal space without a second thought. A vein pulsed in his forehead. "You're a fuckin' liar!"

"W-what?" Komatsu could scarcely believe what he was hearing. How could Zebra – who'd once accused him of being too honest – think Komatsu would start lying to him now? "What am I lying about?" he whispered.

"You don't want me here. I'm happy you came, Zebra-san," Zebra mocked, voice deep and viscous.

Komatsu gaped, trying to force his jumbled thoughts into some semblance of order. "No, I-" He shook his head, adamant. "Why do you think I'm lying about that?"

"Your goddamn heartbeat! It sped up!"

Ah, Komatsu realized. Zebra misinterpreted his half nervous, genuinely happy reaction to the bishokuya's presence as tells for lying, which were similar, he supposed. His words and physical reaction didn't match up.

"I wasn't lying, Zebra-san," Komatsu said, calmly as he was able. To smooth away the angry lines carved in Zebra's forehead, the chef lifted his hands to cup Zebra's cheek, once settling across whole, undamaged skin and the other cradling the lower edge of his mutilated face. "If you give me a minute, I can prove I wasn't lying. I can show you."

The volatile Kings heaved out a breath tight with fury but made no further move. Komatsu, taking this as assent, closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on steadying his lungs and heart. Despite the figure looming over him, a man that could tear him in half without even an ounce of effort, it was quite simple, and soon enough Komatsu's body settled, letting his earlier elation drain away. Then Komatsu opened his eyes, held Zebra's gaze and, without breaking the contact, rolled until his mouth was even with Zebra's arm and pressed a short, sweet kiss to his wrist.

Right on schedule, his heart picked up its pace again, his cheeks flushed pink, and Komatsu had the satisfaction of seeing Zebra's eyes widen and his expression sharpen into something devious as the bishokuya finally understood what was going on. He smirked, fingers cracking through the ice when Komatsu nudged his lips against Zebra's crooked nose in a ghost of a kiss.

"You were so close," Komatsu murmured. "And I missed you a lot."

Grunting in acknowledgement, Zebra angled in for a real kiss, and anticipation tingled down Komatsu's spine at the intent of reciprocation, shivering helplessly but not because of the cold. It was then that something exploded, deafening noise crashing across Pot Pond from the direction Sunny had gone.

"Eeeeeeh?" Komatsu screeched, pushing up on his elbows and gaping at the smoky haze of frozen water now swirling through the air. "I thought we were supposed to be quiet!"

"Looks like that idiot Sunny got impatient."

With this reminder that there was work to be done, a competition to win, Zebra got to his feet, yanking Komatsu up with him. "You hurt, kid?"

Komatsu shook his head, beating stubbornly clinging frost from his jacket. "You wouldn't hurt me, Zebra-san," he said confidently.

It looked like Zebra had something to say about that – something scathing, in all likelihood – but there was a sudden pull at Komatsu's senses, a familiar sensation he knew to be the voice of an ingredient. His eyes landed on a section of ice, one that looked no different from any other but just felt right.

"Can you cut a circle through the ice over there?" Komatsu asked, pointing at the area he meant.

He'd thought Zebra might argue, insist on being in charge; he was the experienced hunter here, after all. But instead the muscles in Zebra's throat bulged and his mouth fell open, and before Komatsu finished blinking he'd done exactly what Komatsu asked.

A fire of determination was burning behind Zebra's eyes. He reached out to keep Komatsu steady on the ice again, huge hand pressed to the small of his back this time. "Let's see how lucky you really are."

A/N - I don't know, I really like this fic? I finished it last night before the new chapter came out, but I knew Komatsu's food luck was going to become a major factor in catching the fish, which is why the ending it what it is.

I was kinda hoping Komatsu would temporarily team up with one of the other Kings while Toriko was distracted by Rin, but no luck.