lacrima; uc

a pinky is invitation enough for the rest of his fingers, and as they slip between hers, takeshi overturns his palm to envelop chrome’s. his touch is warm, calloused and tan, but gentle for all the hardship it has seen.

“hey,” a soft chime, an even softer squeeze of his hand, “it’s okay. i’ve got you.” sometimes, the friction is not hers to mediate. “i have an idea.” a smile tugs his lips and his grip follows suit, urging her with him and slinking them both out the venue.

“looks like they don’t really need us right now.” need, want, it made no difference today―what he does know is when to leave others to their steam. “how about playing a little hooky in sicily?”

          the sigh she’s been holding in her chest dissipates instantly; benign rain washing away all the irritation and frustration as their fingers intertwine. typically, she disfavors having takeshi act as her anchor when he already shoulders the heavy task of reining the entire family ― a burden he shouldn’t carry alone but he does in subtle grace. it’s why she apologizes first; she doesn’t want to add to the weight.

          “thank you,” her gratitude is a gentle murmur and a waning smile. even if she finds it sanded, ground, or stretched thin .. in the light of takeshi’s grin she could not resist the curling of lips and too easily, she follows him outside. it was irresponsible to abandon their duties even if they weren’t necessarily needed at the moment. she contemplates rejecting the idea but at the sight of his strained figure, chrome ultimately gives in.

          they could both use a break ― takeshi especially.

send my muse a 🃏 for a random situation:

29. our muses decide to live together and it’s moving day

          a low wind (sigh) blows over her tea, hands gingerly wrapped around porcelain decorated in hanging pink blossoms. “the apartment I lived in is getting rebuilt, I’ll have to find a new place.” the sky reflects her mood, a clouded gray, as she spills her trivial woes to kyouya. it’s meant to be a passing comment, a small complaint she confides to her friend during their break when ―

          “come live with me then.”

          she burns her tongue. how he crafts insouciance into subtle assertions is an expertise he makes his own, one she admires. in hindsight, she should be used to his whims serving as the word of law once he proclaims it but…

          “I didn’t intend to imply, I ― are you sure?” one raised eyebrow is enough for chrome to garner his intentions and she retracts her previous question to put forth a new one. “I mean, is it .. ? I don’t want to trouble you.” it comes out in broken phrases; uncertain and words becoming softer, flittering to a murmur. they have grown intimate over the years and while she considered kyouya as dear, some doubts were hard to shake off when she thinks about the past.

          “dokuro chrome, if I found you to be the slightest of a nuisance, the invitation wouldn’t exist.” there was a finality behind his statement and she eases at the reminder. how foolish for her to forget: hibari kyouya was a man of his word and impulses.

          the cloud guardian.

          without her notice, the teacup is placed on the tatami and a firm hand covers her dainty ones. “I want you to stay with me.” kyouya appends, vanquishing all the misgivings chrome held with a single sentence. tears begin to fall like a light snow and she can only nod in response. okay. okay.

          cute. it’s not a word many or if, anyone, would equal mukuro to but watching him trying to suck the remnants of his sweetened coffee, obnoxious as the sounds were ― she found the spectacle endearing.

          a hum settles warmly in her mouth, eyes alight as she cants her head in his direction. “hm? you don’t seem scared...” a quick scan of his features and movements tells her the truth but she needlessly traipses around mukuro, only satisfied when she spies no hidden wounds. “I’m always good when you’re here.” she reminds him, lips forming a sly crescent.

          “maybe I should’ve asked fran for a hand. I think we could’ve come up with something horrific.”

          it would’ve been a giant, magnificent pineapple monster chasing down the guardians. what a sight it would’ve been.

a daydream grasped; independent chrome dokuro from KHR! rp blog

          slow blinks turn into a searching gaze, hoping to decipher takeshi’s random inquiry but she finds no answer in his eyes, only sincere curiosity.

          “…isn’t it a pink diamond?”

however, before we dive into that I cannot stress it enough that chrome is in fact, one of THE bravest characters in KHR! yet the most overlooked... need I remind everyone she’s:

dived in front of a car, mid-traffic to save a cat from being run over

joined mukuro’s criminal gang AND then the mafia

resolutely fought against an arcobaleno in her first fight

had to fend off and defeat a disgusting man who wanted to sexually assault, torture, and rape her

joined the millefiore merone base invasion despite her terribly weak condition and again in arcobaleno arc

jumped in tsuna’s battle to protect enma and wasn’t afraid to take on tsuna’s xx burner, max power

chrome is a valiant warrior ― audacious, with the bold stunts she pulls sometimes. time and time again, she rose up to meet the challenge and for the most part, she succeeds. she’s not afraid to take action; if she can, she will. her life and own safety matter little to chrome because she prioritizes her loved ones + their values FIRST. it’s both concerning and frightening how easily she disregards herself but I’ll save that for another time.

the reason why I bring up how courageous chrome is to highlight her mental fortitude, which is important to consider when talking about horrors, is actually pretty fucking strong. very little scares chrome. her only fears are losing her family (be it through abandonment or they die) and not being of use; both are a result of her past and the nature of her relationship with mukuro / flimsy role as mist guardian.

so does chrome have any demons, halloween terrors .. anyone that strikes dread into her heart? just one: daemon spade. not only is he the spitting image of her beloved mukuro-sama, he also shares the same unique ability of possession. it gives her the goddamn chills. daemon spade is everything mukuro could be, should he stray further, except she’s already experienced this possibility in the inheritance ceremony arc.

again, chrome isn’t afraid to die ― too accepting of the concept, actually ― and only resigns herself to her fate IF she’s exhausted her means to fight. she’s frightened the most by the idea of someone like daemon spade, a powerful manipulator, causing her to submit to them like a puppet which is a stark cry away from being a willing vessel. chrome allows mukuro to possess her because she wants to help him in any way she can. daemon’s mind control? there is no consent and everything he does is a violation (not even glo xinia, who was so close to having his way with chrome doesn’t reach this level). it fucks her up. she played right into his hands and couldn’t do ANYTHING about it. what if he made her do real battle with the guardians? what if she hurts someone she loves? what if he breaks all her ties with the one family that cares for her? it frightens her.

daemon spade is the one demon she can’t defeat, can’t exorcise, can’t do anything against. not alone, anyway. his existence unsettles chrome and even with his ghost long gone, the memory haunts her to this day.

black bird

          an imminent white approaches, near swallowing everything in its path, surrounding the visages of nanimori; now a sinking, hollow city bare of its citizens. here, only ghosts and beings a mortal should never chance upon, wander in its vacant, flooded streets.

          but there is a human ― infuriatingly sauntering the roads with a familiarity that shows in his steps: steady and precise. he doesn’t realize the danger he’s in, the winds whisper through empty windows. he doesn’t but... he fares well against this sinister ghost town’s fangs; steel conviction manifesting as the tonfas he wields. each blackened root pulling at his limbs, trying to drown him is cut down with a simple swing and the phantom hands cannot cease steadfast movements. he is an indomitable fire, scorching the ghastly malevolence clinging to nanimori come the full moon.

           firm resolution is a necessity to survive these nights but not without cost: the more alluring a soul is, the more it arouses its hunger. the man is in unknownst peril; ignorant to the workings of this nanimori ― an unwelcoming domain not belonging to him or any of mankind.

          protect him.

          I will, she answers the specter, remnants of a promise years ago. to who? she doesn’t remember but somehow .. she knows it’s him she swore an oath to defend. her descent from a nearby patio is quiet, sending one soundless ripple in the water. the man moves quick, tonfa almost guillotining her if not for lance meeting the heavy brandish of his weapon. it catches him off guard and she seizes her chance ― tugging him into an alley free of rotting vines.

          “you’re attracting too much attention.” she murmurs, fingers stilling the man and pressing gently against warm lips. shh. a large shadow claws the passage, inching its way to where they stood. “don’t move; it’ll drag you straight into the heart of its stomach and you’ll die.” her eye flutters to a close and they vanish from its sensor, blending in with the silver mist. when its shadowy hand retreats, her grasp follows and she looks at him: all grave concern.

          “you need to wake up.”

‪hibari: we don’t have a son‬

‪kidnapper: then who just asked for warm chocolate milk and made us cut the crusts off his sandwich?‬