🌹

. . . others . . .

;; cheering you up ft. kaito, sho, taiga, haru, haku, lyca & jiro.

;; exhausted w/ zenji kotodama.

. . . sho haizono . . .

;; late-night drive.

;; haircut.

;; nsfw alphabet.

;; falling in love.

;; cooking.

;; showering.

;; cut.

;; sleeping in.

;; talented.

;; drunken ramblings.

;; guess the flavor.

;; protective.

;; natural.

;; injuries.

;; surprise.

;; comfort.

;; recording.

;; scare.

;; makeup.

;; fluff alphabet.

;; apologies.

;; third-wheel. (ft. leo kurosagi)

;; first kiss.

;; pets.

;; special dish.

The unexpected voice almost made you slip, an ghostly arm instinctively shooting forward in front of you as if to stop your fall, but you managed to grab onto the ledge. The man floating by your side sighed in relief.

"See? As alluring as the night sky might be, it's very dangerous to let yourself be blinded by its beauty."

You try to give him the best smile you can. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't notice I was leaning so much."

The thoughts of your impending doom were too distracting, after all. So haunting that sometimes you were sure you could feel the tattoo on your back slowly grow bigger and bigger.

Just by seeing Zenji's soft expression, you prepare yourself for what you knows will follow.

"... Everyone has been quite worried about you, dear."

Of course they would be, at least those who actually seemed to care about your well-being. You hadn't talked to anyone these last few days since the Star Festival ended, not even Kaito or Luca, who only caught a brief glimpse of you during classes.

You didn't respond to any texts, be it from the ghouls who demanded something from you, others who tried to invite you over, or even those that mentioned possible details for a mission.

The disappointment you felt after seeing another chance to free yourself from the curse vanish before your eyes was... not easy to deal with.

It was just so tiring to keep hoping only to be let down time and time again: the Genesis, Yuri's medicine, Edward's attempt at making you a vampire, the Sheepdog, Shi San Long... and now, the Sky King. Some of them might have worked, if only to give you a few more months to live, but others meant sacrificing your humanity, which was what you wanted to maintain in the first place.

With every failure, you felt more and more like the Kyklos was laughing at you, watching with that giant eye you couldn't forget. Waiting in her corner for flowers to sprout from under your skin, to watch your head burst in a colorful bouquet with an eye just like hers, vines intertwining with your veins, a horrible, bloody smile on what remained of your face...

Such vision followed you every night when you closed your eyes, making you wonder if maybe it would be better to end your life before letting that despicable anomaly take over. Darwick would make sure you wouldn't survive if the curse took you, either way.

"My dear?"

Your thoughts were interrupted by a worried voice and a cold feeling against your cheek. Zenji's hand retreated, his red eyes filled with understanding and pain. Of course, he was always so empathetic, he likely had an idea of what you've been thinking about.

"I understand the despair of not knowing if you'll be able to reach your goal. You're carrying such a heavy burden..." One of his hands hovers over one of your own. There is no touch, no warmth, no physical comfort, it's akin to a breeze. "But, remember that you are not alone."

"... I don't want them to risk their lives for me anymore." You never did, but now even more so. "It's just... failure after failure. What if one of them gets hurt trying to protect me, only for me to still turn into the Kyklos?"

"That is their choice." The firmness in his voice disconcerts you for a moment but, as you glance back at him, his red eyes are still soft. "You can't tell them not to protect their beloved friend. They're very much aware of the possibilities."

You stay quiet. No words come out of your mouth, nor do sentences form in your head. You're tired, exhausted, but know that Zenji's right, you can't decide for them, and thanks to Edward everyone knew you'd become an anomaly when your time was up. Nothing was hidden from your friends.

The two of you spend some time just watching the stars, the only sound being that of the ghost's gentle humming by your side. It's calming, a lullaby to wish you the sweetest dreams and good luck.

He had chosen a simple recipe, knowing that doing too much might have the opposite effect. Plus, it was something that he could whip out quickly and easily whenever you wanted, given how it only used five ingredients.

The potatoes were easy to prepare, rinsing and peeling, removing the excess moisture after thinly slicing them and adding the salt, and leaving them to cook with olive oil for a few minutes while he beat the eggs.

He left the potatoes to cool as he moved on to the onions, cooking them well before adding them to the egg mixture, followed by the potatoes.

With most of the steps done, Sho grabbed his phone to send you a quick text, mentioning that he needed a taste tester for a new recipe that wouldn't drown the whole meal in hot sauce. Just as he had guessed, you were at the library, giving him the perfect amount of time to finish up and serve you a warm meal.

As he poured the tortilla batter into the frying pan, keeping his focus on not messing up. He wanted this to be good, something that could put a smile on your face, as sappy as that sounded.

Just as he finished plating the meal, you knocked on his door, coming in after hearing the ghoul's reply. Another rough day, given how messy your hair was, and yet your body seemed to relax ever so slightly when you closed the door.

"Something smells really good—" You turned, almost biting your tongue in surprise when you saw what he had prepared. "¿¡Tortilla de patatas!?"

Sho snorted at the obvious eagerness on your face, an eyebrow raised and an amused grin on his lips. "Spot on. Now sit, I don't want to clean up your drool from my floor."

His amusement grew when you subconsciously wiped at your mouth, obviously finding no drool, but cared more about the food than his teasing and quickly sat down.

"Why did you make this?" You asked, curious, as the ghoul passed you a fork and a knife.

The albino shrugged. "Just felt like trying something new. Go on, eat up."

And you didn't hesitate to do so, the nostalgic taste distracting you too much to notice the way your boyfriend's gaze softened at the sight of you happily enjoying the meal. It had been a while since he had seen you eat with such gusto.

He waited until you finished every bite, leaving the plate spotless before he jokingly asked: "So, verdict?"

"It was soooo good." The way those words left your mouth left Sho feeling proud of himself, even if he was always quite confident in his cooking. "And that was your first time making it? I really have to put a ring on your finger, wow."

"That's all it takes for you to propose? I'll have to be careful of others chefs, then."

"Oh, shush." You playfully slapped his arm. "Seriously, though, it was delicious. Are you going to try other spanish recipes?"

"You expect me to say no when you're looking at me like a starving puppy?" Sho huffs, but nods at your question. "Take your chance to send suggestions, senpai."

"God, I love you so much."

"Pfft. Me, or the food?"