His addiction has been getting worse, the sugar, the rush, the little hit of sweetness he craves throughout the day. and well, you are sweeter than any candy he has ever had. So in his mind, that piece of candy sitting on your tongue? It's been blessed. It has to taste better than anything he could unwrap himself. Right?
A mischievous and sly man like Elias would never miss an opportunity like that.
It happened on one of those afternoons when a few students dropped by to thank you for helping them. Little tokens of appreciation: a pack of gummies here, some lollipops there. You'd dumped the haul onto your shared table, already offering Elias his share because there was no way you'd finish them all yourself.
You unwrap a small ruby candy, pop it into your mouth, and let it rest against the inside of your cheek.
You feel Elias’s gaze on the side of your face. You lift your eyes and raise your eyebrows in confusion.
“What? Do I have something on my fac-”
But before you can even finish your sentence, he’s already in front of you, his face so close that your breaths mingle. You can even smell the fruity sweetness wrapping around you that always seems to linger around him.
And then, out of nowhere, he kisses you.
You’ve gotten used to the fact that Elias always steals kisses from you left and right, completely at random. Even when you're on high alert, he still manages to sneak one or two kisses from you. What a sly man. And his kisses always taste incredibly sweet, thanks to the sugary remnants always clinging to the corner of his lips.
Just when you think this is another one of his quick, stolen kisses, his tongue suddenly slips past your lips. Before you can even react, he pulls away. You don't realize what's happened until he sticks out his tongue with that signature smug expression. There it is, your candy. That little ruby-red drop rests neatly on his tongue, as if it belongs there. As if it's finally returned to its rightful owner.
"Why did you do that?!”
He shrugged, completely unbothered. "I was just craving something sweet.”
As if he didn’t just kiss you to steal something from your lips.
You pointed at the mountain of wrappers next to him. "I gave you an entire pile of candy!”
"It doesn't taste as sweet as you(rs).”
In conclusion, you can never win against Elias Pratt ^^
Not because he's smooth, though he is. Not because he's sly, though that too. But because he is the most shameless person you've ever met.
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everyone is plastered at Rui's bar, and you spend all night getting pulled around by 21 drunk ghouls, YAY! silly and funny, sprinkled with a little eroticism (ofc)
this story contains mature content, including dub-con, non-con, nipple play, temperature play, public sex, intoxication, a medical procedure, and similar themes.
please read at your own discretion! <3
It's New Year's Eve, and Rui has offered to host a party at the Obscuary Bar. With the holiday festivities wrapped up and nearly all the general students home until the new semester starts, the campus had been quiet, giving the reaper plenty of time to harvest anomalous flora and concoct new seasonal cocktails.
You receive a call from him just before noon on New Year’s Eve, enlisting your help in gathering simple decorations for the party. When you show up to the bar, Lyca is overjoyed to see you, leaping over a table to wrap you in a tight embrace as he loudly sniffs at your sweater.
“L-Lyca-kun!” You gasp with a laugh, playfully shoving him off. “Long time no see, huh? Miss me?”
His eyes swirl with a deep gold as they hold your gaze. “Maybe.” He releases you with a breath of reluctance, pulling his phone from his pocket and opening a chat before shoving the device in your hands. “Blondie says he wants us to go buy New Year’s decorations at the store while he gets ready. Said you’d know what to do. Oh! An’ he gave me this plastic thingy to give you.”
You take the credit card— black, impressive, while reading the messages on his phone, chuckling to yourself as Rui gets increasingly annoyed at Lyca before deciding to bring you aboard.
“Hm… Okay!” You hand Lyca the phone back, invigorated by the idea of having free reign over party decorating. “Seems easy enough. Let’s go get some banners and balloons and party hats and stuff!”
“What’s a baa-loon?”
You grin and take his hand, leading him to the Galaxy Express station.
Whew! Good thing there’s a party supply store super conveniently right beside one of the Galaxy Express stops! Lyca trails behind you, eyes shimmering with wonder and awe as you peruse the aisles, sparkles and colours and strange new textures galore.
“What’s this?” He asks for the seventeenth time, shoving a plastic package in your face.
“These are… A pack of plastic glasses shaped like 2026.”
“Oh. Does everyone wear them?”
“Uh… Whoever wants to, I guess. It’s just a silly New Year’s accessory thing.”
“…Woah…Huh…”
He flips the package around in his hands, pausing to make sure you were watching him, then looking back down. It’s clear he wants it, so with a laugh, you gently take it from his hands and place it in the shopping cart.
The two of you gradually fill the cart. From glittery banners to silly drink markers to huge foil golden balloons to elegant party hats to confetti cannons, you were more than prepared to throw a spectacular end-of-year bash with the ghouls who made your last (literally, possibly your last) year so memorable.
When you arrive back at Darkwick with bulging plastic bags in one hand and a gourmet creme-filled croissant in the other (a treat from the bakery next to the train station congratulating the two of you on a job well done), your steps are light and the mood bright. Lyca trails silently behind you, tongue-deep in his croissant as he licks out all the filling before loudly crunching and making enthusiastic Mmm! sounds every few seconds as though he were tasting it for the first time over and over again.
“Mmm!!!” You can practically hear him licking his lips, and laugh gently at his excitement.
“I’m glad you like it, Lyca!”
He grunts in response, mouth full of the flaky pastry. The loud crinkling of the foil wrapper that follows indicates that he’d finished his croissant, and he throws the ball of garbage into a nearby trashcan with perfect aim. “Famnks fr takin’ mbe,” he says between bites.
Rui remains nowhere to be seen when you return back to the bar, so you decide to get to work on decorating without him. You teach Lyca how to make tape loops and how to inflate balloons, and he carries you on his shoulders as you secure dangly silver-gold swirls to the ceiling. By the time the sun sets, the bar shimmers with a party-ready energy. You and Lyca stand in the middle of the bar, admiring the handiwork.
“Woah… It’s so pretty in here!”
“You did such a good job, Lyca-kun!”
He smiles, hands on his hips, proudly surveying the room. “I like it like this. The blonde gigolo should keep it like this all the time!”
You nod in agreement just as Rui finally surfaces from his basement lair.
“Hey, cutie!”
You rush over to him, taking a crate filled with glass containers from his hands as he climbs up the ladder before fixing his hair and straightening out his blazer.
“Sorry you have to see me all dishevelled like this. I was so busy I lost track of time!” He begins emptying the contents of the crate into the fridge, before noticing Lyca out of the corner of his eye. “Oh! You’re still here, Doggo!”
Lyca grumbles something inaudible.
“Sorry! Just didn’t see you there!” His eye finally catches on the massive balloons, and he pauses what he’s doing to take in the way his bar had been decorated.
A slow, low whistle of approval. “Oh man, when I said you’d know what you were doing, I didn’t expect you two to go this hard… What were you, some kinda event designer before you came here?” He grins, walking over to Lyca and lightly ruffling his hair. “You did good too, Doggo. Place looks great. I’m not looking at my credit card bill this month, though.”
Suddenly, the bar door swings open, a tuft of bright red hair stepping in.
“Haru!”
Behind him is Towa, grumbling slightly at being forced to dress up, but once he sees the balloons and glitter, his eyes light up and he beelines towards it. Haru laughs, sidling up to the bar.
“Starting early today, Harurin?” Rui teases, stirring a large plastic container of clear blueish liquid.
“You know me! Whatcha got there?” Haru peers over the counter and takes in a big whiff, coughing at the acrid smell. “It– it’s strong, I’ll give you that!”
“Hey hey hey! You should know by now not to smell random things here!” Rui sighs, bending down to pull out a small jar of a dark purple liquid, swirling it before opening it and pouring it into his jigger. Two, four, six, eight ounces. It mixes easily into the blue solution, gradually turning it clear, then pink, then a deep cranberry red. “It’s not ready yet, I still have to add some ingredients and then freeze it to infuse the flavours!”
“Aw, seriously, Rui? I thought if I came early I’d get to have a head start!”
Rui closes the container and places it in the freezer. “I’ll make you something, don’t wo–” His face pales as he searches in the freezer. “No, no, nonono… Fuck… Fuck!” He looks resigned, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips as he nervously scratches the back of his head. “I forgot, the ice machine is broken.” He sheepishly pulls out a single bag of half-used shoved-in-the-back-of-the-freezer-and-forgotten-about-for-who-knows-how-long ice, and looks nervously at the clock on the wall.
“I– uh. I could go get some ice,” you suggest. “I have to get ready, anyway. Maybe I could grab a change of clothes on the way back after picking it up— Woah?!”
Towa lifts you into the air, smiling proudly. “~~~~!”
“Oooh! Great idea! Towa can come with you to pick up the ice, then bring it back while you change!” Haru claps his hands together excitedly. “And that means I can still sit here and get a head start on drinks before everyone else arrives!”
So you head out with Towa, black credit card once again in your hand.
The convenience store is empty, with Benkei being replaced by a sleeping cat. Towa hums happily as you stack bag after bag of ice over his outstretched arms, continually encouraging you to stack them higher even after his vision is completely blocked.
“Towa, are you sure you don’t need help carrying any of them?” Your hands wrap around his arm as you guide him out of the store.
“~~♫,” Towa sings, quickly walking ahead as if to show you how capable he is.
“Okay, you’re strong. Hey wait— Hang on! I need to swing by the cathedral to grab my outfit!” You speed up your walk to catch up to him, but in a matter of moments he’s already a block ahead of you. “Uhh… Okay… Or not…”
Well, at least you can take your time in getting ready now that you don’t need to rush back with the ice. You watch as Towa’s head bobs out of sight before following the familiar trail of flickering iron streetlamps back to the cathedral.
When you arrive at your dorm, a huge yawn overtakes you. You step out of your clothes to change into your outfit, making the grave mistake of sitting on your bed and scrolling on Wickhive for several minutes. Sitting turns to leaning, which turns to laying, which turns to laying under the blankets. Another yawn. Maybe a quick 15 minute nap would energize you…
You wake with a start three hours later with a sense of dread pooling in your stomach. Fuck, you overslept! You throw your blanket off, rushing to wash your face and comb your hair before rifling through your closet for something party-ready.
Your outfit is simple, yet chic. A short skirt covered with large silver sequins, and a finely meshed silvery black long sleeve with half the back cut out. Your feet are decorated in strappy shimmery sandals with a narrow heel, the colours of which match the earrings that dangle down past your lightly styled hair. Nearly four hours have passed since you’d parted ways with Towa, and you hurry to add the final touches to your outfit before wrapping a thin shawl around your shoulders and grabbing your purse off the table.
Trembling slightly in the cold, you make your way back to the bar as quickly as possible. As you swing the door open, your jaw nearly drops to the ground.
The party is already in full swing, if not past that. There’s ghouls draped over tables and in booths, glasses and half-eaten plates of finger foods strewn about. Someone is yelling, someone is crying, there’s the sound of a Japanese lute playing, and you’re pretty sure some artifacts have been improperly used based on the swim ring coiled around a sentient motorcycle, and the stream of bubbles blowing out from behind an armchair.
Suddenly, a blur rushes past you, shoving you to the side. You realize it’s Luca, mouth covered with his gloved hands as he runs towards the bathroom. Your eyes trail after him, only to see him cough, then gag— no, no way— before he abandons his plan and runs to a corner, grabbing a fistful of napkins off a side table as his thrusts his arm against a wall for support, a wet splash hitting the floor followed by the sound of him retching. Concern floods your eyes and you immediately run over, calling his name.
As you rush to him, your foot hooks onto something— or rather, someone, causing you to trip and fall into their lap. Taiga cracks open one of his eyes, rolling over and grasping your bare thighs as a devious grin spreads across his face.
“Kitty-cat!” His hands migrate to your waist, pulling you down.
“Woah?!” Your arm shoots out, hand planting behind his head for support. His breath reeks of alcohol and you struggle as his palms roam, fingers playing with the hem of your cropped shirt.
His eyes are slightly unfocused but they manage to hold your gaze. “Was wonderin’ when you’d get here,” he drawls, flipping your shirt up slightly, exposing your navel. He pokes a finger in, eliciting a surprised squeak. “Gyahaha! Are you pretendin’ to be a mouse today?” He flips over onto his front, trapping you under him as he presses you into the ground. “Squeak for me again an’ I might not eat ya right away.”
You squirm under him as he delights in your struggle, arms caging you in. He’s surprisingly heavy, but you manage to eventually get a leg out, pulling yourself out from under him. Victory! Triumph soars through your veins as you stand up over him, until a loud snore sounds out and you realize that he’d actually just fallen asleep while laying on you.
You straighten your skirt, eyeing the pile of sick Luca had left behind (now politely covered with squares of cocktail napkins), before you feel your hand being pulled in the opposite direction towards the bar.
“Y/N! You're finally here! Come do a shot with me and Rui!” A particularly energetic redhead hands you a curiously coloured shot and you hold the glass up to the light, inspecting it. It's a translucent pale blue with thin, wispy streaks of white slowly floating down.
Rui has his hands up in surrender, a deep pink flush streaking across his face. “Hey, Harurin, I'm not as big of a drinker as you, you know!”
“Yeah, but this is an exceptional case, right? You're taking a shot with Y/N on New Year's Eve!”
“Fine, fine. You know what kinda suffering you're putting me through tonight, cutie?” Rui grins at you, raising his glass.
“Payment for making me decorate and get ice,” you tease.
“Cheers to a fresh start!” Haru exclaims, wrapping a long arm around you before clinking his glass against both yours and Rui's before quickly downing the drink.
You follow his lead, sharp bitterness stinging your tongue. A creamy menthol-like chill follows, sliding down your throat and snaking through your veins, coaxing out a deep-seated shiver from your bones. When you exhale, your breath comes out in a thick, white cloud.
“Woah?!” You take a few breaths in quick succession, watching them drift up towards the ceiling before slowly dissolving. “Rui, you’re like, a drink alchemist!”
“Fuck, Y/N. I knew your reaction'd be priceless, but I didn't think you'd be…” He sniffs gently. “…Didn’t think you'd be so—” His lip quivers almost imperceptibly. “…I didn't think it'd be so freakin’… cute!” A sob wrenches from his throat and he spins around, shamefully burying his face in his elbow. “D-don't look at me, I get—” Another sob, as his voice wobbles. “…I’m seriously so sorry, I—”
Haru tightens his grip around your shoulders and turns to you. “He gets emotional when he drinks too much.”
Just as you're about to try and comfort the reaper, a loud bang sounds from behind you, causing you to spin in your seat.
Ritsu stands a few feet away, looking at the ground in shock. He holds a sparkly red cocktail in one hand, his beloved Compendium of Laws laying open at his feet. He starts to bend down in an attempt to pick it up, wobbling slightly, ruby liquid sloshing out from his glass. You call his name as you rush over.
“I'll get it~!” It’s heavy. You hold it out towards the incredibly intoxicated paralegal and he accepts it, scooping it into one of his arms as he sways slightly. “Um… Ritsu, are you okay?”
“Yes!” He's smiling to himself, as if he's in on a joke no one else knows. “In fact, I’m feeling rather exceptional at the moment. I must say, you make a great business partner. Very keen and observant.” He gingerly shoves out a hand to shake yours, once again dropping his book on the ground.
“Um—”
“Ah!” He fumbles again, bending down to pick it up, only to spill more of his cocktail on the ground.
You sigh. “What if you give me your um… Give me your drink, and I'll help you pick it up, okay?”
Ritsu thinks for a moment. “Okay. But only b'cause you're my business partner.”
“Okay.” You take his drink, setting it on a nearby table, before once again hoisting the book up. “Can you put it back in your keychain thing now? I don't want you to drop it again.”
“M'kay.” He takes the book from you once again before fiddling with the artifact keychain at his belt. It’s stuck on his belt loop, his gloved hands fumbling with the simple metal ring. You watch, face pained, as he manages to grip it, before—
Somehow, his voice recorder pops out from his pocket and clatters to the floor. In an attempt to catch it with his foot, he manages once again to drop the book.
You sigh, bending down once again, reaching for the voice recorder when a sharp voice sounds from behind you.
“Are you fucking kidding me.” A frigid hand clasps over yours.
“J-Jin!” You stammer, body tensing at the slight contact.
“I let you have some time to yourself and you’re splayed out on the floor picking up this guy’s shit like you’re stuck in a time loop?” The Frostheim Captain pulls the recorder from your hand, slamming it into Ritsu’s chest, knocking him onto the couch behind before whipping around to face you. “Have some fucking dignity.”
“You're no fun,” you reply, rolling your eyes.
“Mm.” Jin pulls you close, swirling his drink. Richly dark and brown, a clear cube of ice circles the inner edge of the glass. “You're gonna regret that.”
He towers over you, staring down at you in silence, a grin slowly spreading across his face. His hand suddenly grabs yours, leading you across the bar.
As he steps over the very-asleep Taiga, you can’t help but laugh at the werewolf that has curled up next to him. Lyca’s ears and tail are popped out, the cheap 2026 glasses from earlier sitting off-kilter on his face.
Taiga sniffs the air as you approach. “Mmmh… Kitty-cat…,” he grumbles, pulling Lyca in close. “So soft…”
“Stop gawking at them.” Jin tugs impatiently on your hand, causing you to stumble behind him as he pulls you to the men's restroom.
“Uh…”
His gloved hand slams against the heavy wooden door, then against a stall door, opening it with a bang as he pushes you inside. He releases his grip on you as he spins you around, shoving your back into the door as he looms over you. He takes a sip of his drink, eyeing you up and down.
“I always wanted to do something about that attitude of yours.”
“And I always wanted you to just leave me alone.” You move to unlock the door, but he’s already moved a swift hand against it, holding it firmly shut.
“I don’t think you’re in a position to say that to me, slave.”
His index finger slides up your body ever-so-delicately, coming to a stop against the underside of your chin. His eyes— cold and empty and blue, lock onto yours.
“Open.”
Your mouth opens completely on its own. You make a sharp noise of surprise that you quickly swallow back down. Is it really that surprising? Jin misusing his stigma on you while intoxicated? No, you really should have seen this coming from a mile away.
A clink. He holds the glass up to your lips, tipping a generous mouthful of the amber liquid into your mouth. It’s thick and rich and tastes almost smokey, burning your throat as it slips down. He smiles, watching you swallow before he pulls the glass away, balancing it on top of the toilet paper holder.
You’re about to open your mouth to say something, but he must have sensed your intention, because his large hand suddenly clamps down over it. Your complaints turn incomprehensible against his palm, yet you continue to writhe in disagreement until you hear the sound of the bathroom door banging open.
…Oh. Someone else is here.
Immediately, you stop struggling, holding your breath. You can hear the sound of them walking to the urinals, then the unzipping of a fly. Your eyes flick up to Jin’s, a strange look reflecting back from his pale blue irises. For a moment, you can’t quite figure out the expression on his face, until—
Cold. A wet, freezing sensation right up against the sensitive skin of your waist, just slightly beside your navel. A shuddering gasp escapes from your lips as Jin’s hand clamps down even tighter around your mouth, his eyes commanding that you stay quiet lest you be found.
A cunning grin dances across his face. He releases your mouth, using his free hand to hike your shirt up higher, up past your chest so that your bra peeks out from underneath. Slowly, he begins to move the ice cube.
Down, to the edge of your skirt.
Back up, circling your belly button, as he watches the melted water drip off your feverish skin into the dimpled hole.
Jin moves the ice farther up, tracing it along the edge of your ribs, teasing at the skin under your breast. You shudder, holding your breath.
His eyes glint. This is exciting for him. He’s toying with you, waiting for you to slip.
The metallic clink of a belt sounds from outside, followed by the sound of the urinal flushing.
Jin lowers his lips to your ear, voice quieter than a whisper. “Think you can stay quiet?”
You nod.
“Good.”
He looks you over again and you feel so, so naked, pressing yourself as hard into the stall door as possible. You wonder if the person outside has heard you; wonder if they’ve noticed the two pairs of feet.
A drop of water follows a glistening trail down your body, silently splashing onto the tiled floor. The faucet turns on outside as he reaches behind you to unclasp your bra.
Piercing cold bites into your nipple as you sink your teeth into your lip. There’s a growing smirk on Jin’s face as he watches your reaction, intentionally backing away to better watch you struggle with the sensation. You squirm against the door, ice moving in circles. Your fists clench, breath held, praying for him to give you some sense of reprieve.
It stings—
No, it burns.
It burns, and Jin knows and he’s pressing it even deeper into your skin, and what if it’s so cold your nerve endings die? What if it’s so cold you get frostbite?
“J-Jin…”
Devilish amusement flickers across his face. “And you said I was no fun.”
Your pulse throbs, hammering thickly wherever the ice touches, and just as you’re nearly at your limit, just as you’ve decided to abandon any care about staying quiet and kick him away from you— he relents.
The faucet outside turns off. You hold your breath, eyes locked with Jin as he remains still as ever, ice still held tightly between his fingers. The stranger dries their hands with a paper towel, lingering in front of the mirror for a moment before their footsteps patter away and the door swings open, then shut.
Tears well in your eyes. Your skin is red and raw and angry, a hot, numbing pin and needles sensation blossoming off your chest. Jin places the half-melted ice back in the glass, pulling out a handkerchief to dry off his fingers as you slump against the stall door.
Silently, he fixes your top, clasping your bra back up. He wipes a tear from your cheek with a thumb so gentle no one would believe it was the same cruel, ice-wielding hand. Warm; his hands are warm as they take delicate care in fixing the wrinkles in your skirt, smoothing down your hair, cleaning the smudged makeup off your lower lid. Leaning over you, he plants a cruelly soft kiss on the center of your forehead, before finally unlocking the stall door for you.
“You wanted to go, so go.” His voice is soft.
You remain in place, trembling, yet unmoving.
“Go.”
Your legs move as if on their own.
You stumble out of the bathroom, only to crash violently into Ren. Knees wobbly, you nearly tip off balance, but his reflexes are quick as he manages to hold you up by your waist.
“It’s okay, I got you.”
His arms are steady as he effortlessly holds you in a low dip as though you're dancing. Bangs sweep almost in slow-motion across his broad forehead as he flicks his eyes up from under them, locking them with yours. Your heart thumps loudly in your chest. In a swift motion, he reaches out his free hand, resting it on your cheek.
“Hey, Y/N. Your face is burning. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah… I’ve just had a few drinks,” you half-lie, pushing away the thought of Jin and the cold that still burns against your chest. He stands you back up and you nervously touch your cheeks, feeling the redness deepen under his concerned gaze.
“Oh…” He cocks his head to the side, as if trying to read you. Can he… sense that something’s wrong? Oh god, was he the one using the washroom earlier? After all, why else would you be coming out of the men’s—
“Woah?!”
Ren grabs you by the hand, pulling you to a nearby table. He pours a glass of water, gingerly placing it in your hand with a wide grin. “Drink up, then.”
He smiles, tapping the edge of your water cup with his beer glass before downing it completely. You eye him incredulously, taking a polite sip. This Ren— this likely-quite-intoxicated Ren is almost like another person. You don’t think you can even remember having ever seen him smile before. A short shout from across the room catches both your attention and you turn to look. It’s Ed, hand flapping in the air, beckoning him.
“Ren~ I need you to accept our requests to join your guild!”
You look over to see Edward sitting in a corner with a puzzled looking Jiro, a passed out Luca resting his head on the table, and an excited Kaito shouting out possible team names to everyone’s disapproval. Is this… their new guild?
“Also, Ren, what is a ‘S… S… R…? Jiro just pulled two in a row and—”
Ren nearly spits out his drink as turns, taking several steps in the direction of the group before turning back around to look at you.
“You’re not coming with?”
“Oh! Um…”
He moves back to your side, clasping your hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We’re always taking new members, and you’ve already played before so you can help me teach them! Ed has a lot of questions…”
It’s strange to see so many faces waiting for Ren. You would have never imagined him so comfortable in the presence of others before, much less be social? Or have… Friends? You squeeze his hand in return.
As you arrive at the table, Kaito bolts out of his seat to give you a hug. “Y/N! I’m so happy you’re here!”
“Oh! Kaito!” You wrap your arms around him as he pulls you close in a warm embrace.
“I saved you a seat.”
“Thank you!” You slide into the horseshoe shaped booth, settling in beside Luca as Kaito reaches for a bottle at the center of the table.
“We’re drinking this wine Ed brought,” Kaito says, spinning the label towards you. “He says it’s a vintage from France.”
You look towards Ed who’s splayed out over the booth, head leaning against the side of Jiro’s sturdy frame, long legs dangling off the booth. He briefly glances up from his phone at the mention of his name, ruby eyes flicking between you and the blonde as a knowing smirk grows on his face. “Yes, a Pauillac.” He stares wistfully until his phone chimes, a sigh huffing from his lips as he thrusts the device in Ren’s face. “How is this… xxbabys3npai guy always beating me even though I’m stronger?”
Kaito reaches across the table for an empty wine glass in front of him. “Y/N, Would you like to try the wine?”
You nod eagerly, watching as he pours you a glass. He’s surprisingly calm tonight.
“Thank you.”
He nods, settling into his spot beside you and reaching his arm around your shoulders in one smooth, confident motion; one so natural you barely notice it until you feel the brush of his hand against your shoulder.
Kaito clears his voice, commanding the attention of the others at the table as he raises his glass. “To new beginnings.”
You lift your glass up as well, nodding politely as you give it a gentle swirl before bringing it to your lips. The wine is silky, coating your tongue with earthy flavours that spread down your throat with a subtly fruity sweetness. Kaito watches you, waiting for you to place your glass down before speaking.
“I— ah.” He pauses for a moment, carefully choosing his words. “I’m really glad we were able to spend this past year together, Y/N. I think you're really—”
“Ren, why does everyone else have these fancy robes, but I just have the default black set?” Ed’s whining voice cuts loudly through your conversation. He’s clutching his wine glass in one hand, phone in the other as he waves it at Ren.
You laugh before turning back to Kaito, trying to wipe the look of amusement off your face. “U-uh… Um. Sorry, Kaito. What did you say?”
He smiles gently at you, brushing your bangs out of your face. “I like when you laugh.”
“Ah—” You shyly duck your head down as you flush red, taking a long sip of your wine. Where is this coming from? Kaito usually can’t even look you in the eye without freaking out, much less be so suave.
“And I’m really glad we were able to spend this past—”
“Ren, how do I equip this hat on my mage once I buy it?”
“Here.” Jiro swipes Ed’s phone from his hand, tapping at the screen. “Which mage do you want to put it on, Maelor or… Asc;flfgb?”
“What?” Ed peers over Jiro’s shoulder. “I didn’t name it that.”
“Okay. So, which mage do you want the hat on?”
“Wait— I don’t want his name to be Asc;flfgb, how can I change the name?”
“I don’t know.”
“Reeen~! How can I change the—”
“Give it here.” You sigh, holding your hand out to Jiro. “What do you want to name him?”
Ed’s eyes glint again as he watches you, head resting on his fist. “Mmm, Y/N. Quite the tech support, hm? I’m always surprised by people of your generation.”
You laugh quietly. “My generation thanks you.” You take a sip of wine as you tap around, finding the character settings page. “So… name?”
“Mm. You know what, I’ll let you name him whatever you want. A token of my gratitude.”
Thinking, you lean back against Kaito’s body. He tenses for a moment in surprise, but wraps his arm just a little tighter around your shoulder. You type in a name, then hand the phone back, taking another sip of wine before turning back to Kaito.
“Anyway, Kaito. It’s been really nice getting to know you this past year. I’m glad I ran into you in that closet,” you say with a laugh.
“Me too, Y/N.” He reaches for your hand, stopping just short before making contact. He takes a deep breath. “Hey, Y/N, I was wondering if in a few days you'd wanna come with me to see…” He's flustered, just a bit, and takes a swig of wine as he clears his throat. “Y/N, I wanna take you out like, in the city to see this—”
Ed’s voice cuts Kaito’s declaration of love in half again. “Ren, how do I use the ultimate move for this demon guy? I keep tapping it and it won't work.”
“You have to let it charge up first, but it charges faster the more kills you get.” Ren slides in beside Ed, finger swiping at his screen. “But see, if you equip this little bell thing—”
Suddenly, Luca's eyes flash open.
“Move. Move, move move!” Luca’s voice is panicked as he taps frantically at your leg, a hand moving up to cover his mouth.
You look at Kaito’s wide blue eyes as he scans his friend's pale face. “Kaito, move!”
Luca reaches over you and practically pushes Kaito out of his seat, and you quickly follow to let him out. He grabs a stack of cocktail napkins off the table as he runs in the direction of the washroom, stumbling as he retches loudly.
You stare at Kaito in worry. “Um…”
“Ah…” He scratches the back of his head nervously.
“Do you think you should…”
He sighs, worry and disappointment lacing his voice. “Yeah, I'm gonna check up on him. He really can't handle his liquor. I think he just had like… Two shots or something.” He pauses to look at you for just a second longer. “I'll be back soon, though! Don't go anywhere!”
You smile as he bolts after his friend.
“Hey, so Y/N. You gonna join our guild or what?” Ren flashes you a lopsided smile.
“Oh! Yeah, lemme just grab my phone—”
The sound of a lute suddenly strums, lights in the bar darkening.
You feel a tug on your arm and turn to see a wide-eyed Subaru suddenly appear at your side, face beaming as he smiles intensely down at you.
“Y/N! I’m about to perform an excerpt from a traditional Kabuki play about the New Year! I revised it to be performed by only one actor instead of three, so I’d really love if you could stay and watch, even if only for just a little bit…”
He tugs at your sleeve insistently, unblinking amethyst eyes glistening as he speaks. You can sense that ‘no’ is somehow absolutely not an answer, so you let yourself be led to the middle of the floor.
“This is a good spot,” he whispers. You notice Zenji and Saburo in the corner, the doll controlling the lute as it strums once again before Subaru politely darts away.
A quiet hush falls over the bar as the Hotarubi Captain takes the stage. His face has completely transformed in mere seconds— delicate features relaxed, mouth pursed into a small, feminine pout. Though he’s frozen in place he still manages to command all the attention in the room, a shared breath; held.
Zenji’s lute begins to play a slow, gentle melody, and Subaru swirls up from the ground, endlessly twirling like a flower petal caught in a breeze, the long sleeves of his outfit wrapping around him as he moves barefoot across the plush floor of the bar.
You’re so entranced by the performance that you don’t notice a pair of slender arms slowly slinking down around your shoulders until they press you backwards against a solid chest. You turn to look up in surprise just as Haku bends down to your ear.
“Shunkyô Kagamijishi.”
“Huh…?”
Haku snickers quietly, tightening his hold on you. “That’s the name of this play. Have you heard of it before?”
You shake your head, no.
He leans in closer, his warmth enveloping your back. “It’s about a young lady in waiting who’s chosen to perform the lion dance at a New Year’s celebration to exorcize evil spirits.” He rests his chin against your shoulder affectionately, smell of a citrusy liquor wafting off him. “The character is shy and hesitant, so she gets locked in a room to rehearse with the lion head. See? That’s why he’s moving like that.”
Subaru’s movements are small and delicate under a simple lion mask as he repeats the same motion over and over again, his character slowly gaining confidence with each action before beginning another. He moves in precise harmony with the lute; it’s as if they’re a single entity, his effortless grace completely mesmerizing.
“So she continues rehearsing, not knowing that through her dancing, she’s summoned the spirit of the lion.” The lute gradually intensifies as if on cue. You watch as Subaru’s face slowly evolves, his serene face being replaced by brows cocked at strange angles, nose twitching, lips spreading taut over his teeth in the beginning of an animalistic snarl.
As you watch, Haku's hands begin to wander from their position at your waist. A finger slips under your sleek top, seeking skin. Another finger follows, tracing shapeless patterns over your navel. A grin spreads across your face— you know exactly what he’s doing; anyone could have guessed what drunk Haku would be like, and just as you’re about to pull his hand out of your shirt, he grazes over the sensitive skin just above your pelvis, causing you to flinch over to one side.
“S-stop, Haku, I’m— I’m really— ticklish— here~!!” Staccato gasps fall from your mouth as you try to control your breathing, hands grasping for him in an effort to push him away. His grip tightens around you, holding you upright as you squirm in his embrace. He holds your hands still, and is it the wine? The wine mixed with whiskey mixed with whatever was in that glittering blue shot, that makes your stomach flip?
And Haku knows you, knows you well enough to know your squirming is half-hearted, that the friction buzzing between his chest and your back, between his breath and the nape of your neck, between his chin and the tip of your reddening ear are born of a tipsy want.
He tilts your chin back towards the stage. There’s a percussive beat that punches between the melody of the lute, and you watch as Subaru’s movements become increasingly more frantic. You’re trying your best to keep facing forward as Haku drums his fingers to the rhythm under your top, hands snaking up into your bra.
You barely manage to bite down a sharp gasp that bubbles up.
“Oh, wait wait wait. This is my favourite part,” Haku whispers, hands stilling and holding you tight as he grins into the back of your skull.
Subaru’s body freezes at the height of the beat and he stands on one foot, reaching up towards the sky. Silence envelops the room. He stays like that, perfectly poised, a long, aching breath held— before suddenly falling limp to the ground. An ominous stringed twang. His head twitches on the ground as the music slowly begins again, a note followed by a beat as his body begins to rise up.
Haku’s breathy whisper presses into your ear. “This is when the spirit of the lion enters her, and takes control of her limbs.”
What…? There’s no way that wasn’t an innuendo. You feel him smiling into your neck as his words send an army of goosebumps trailing all over your body.
“There’s no way that wasn’t an innuendo,” you whisper.
He pinches your nipple through your bra in response, a soft moan ghosting your lips.
“Quiet, Princess,” Haku purrs. “Not here. You wanna steal Suba-kun’s spotlight or something?”
“I can’t, not if you’re whispering that shit to me while fondling me in front of everyone.”
“But I like how you feel in my hands.” You wriggle against him until you’re finally able to pry his hands out, holding them in yours as you spin around to look in his gleaming irises.
“Are you saying you wanna be the spirit of the lion? And I’m the lady in waiting?”
“Are you saying you’ll let me in?”
“I don’t think the lion asks, he just does it.”
Something dangerous shifts in Haku’s demeanor. Without any further words, he pulls you past the other spectators and towards the entrance, leading you out the door with his palm against the small of your back.
Outside, the snow swirls with a surprising vengeance. Strange, it wasn’t like this before. A bitter wind whips through your hair as Haku quickly shrugs off his blazer, wrapping it delicately around your shoulders to keep you warm as he pulls you into the alley behind the bar.
It’s as if everything after that happens in a split second. His hands are back under your shirt, tongue lapping at your neck, knee pushing your shaking thighs apart as your back slams against the wall.
And you reciprocate; guiding his hands up your body, tilting your head to grant him further access, pressing yourself down against his leg.
He undoes your bra, fingers following the loosened band to rub against your nipples again, as he nips at your jaw, your earlobe.
“I wanna hear you make that sound for me again.”
“W-what soun—”
A pinch, sharp. You gasp in surprise.
"Mmm. Close, but I think you can do better…”
He cups your face in his hand, slipping his thumb into your mouth, his other hand moving to your other nipple and pinching again— hard.
A whimper, followed by a moan that rings out between the brick buildings.
“Heh. Good girl.”
His thumb is replaced by lips as he plants kiss after bruisingly forceful kiss on you, eagerly swallowing all the sounds you make. He pauses to trail hot kisses along your jaw, nipping at your neck and collarbones, always finding his way back to your lips. His hands are hungry, gripping and grabbing at anything he can find and it’s clear he’s not as poised as he probably usually is— he fumbles slightly, and you stagger under his unbalanced weight, but the alcohol burning your cheeks doesn’t mind as you lead his wandering fingers between your legs.
His fingertips catch against the dampening fabric that separates his body from yours.
“Fuck,” Haku groans, and he's looming over you again, pinning you flush against both him and the wall. A hardness imprints against your thigh; a hardness that twitches through his jeans, that has you unbuckling his belt in record time, that has him lifting up your tiny skirt, pushing the flimsy fabric of your underwear to the side as he drags his fingers slowly up between your folds. You palm over the fabric of his pants, squeezing the shape of his cock, only for him to swat your hand away.
“S-such… A tease,” you breathe between kisses, shifting your weight to give him better access.
“Such a slut for me,” he replies. His fingers move away from your entrance and instead slowly begin to circle your clit.
You press your forehead against his, before letting it lull in the crook of his neck as you struggle to maintain your composure. “Fuck, Haku. I— I wanna— I want… Is it… Should we…? Can we—”
With a loud bang, the back door of the bar suddenly slams open, causing you and Haku to jump apart. You watch, mortified, as a tuft of teal hair pokes out from the corner, peering the opposite way, then in your direction.
“—Aa-h! Kusanagi! A-and Y/N!”
In the split second it took for you to realize someone had come out, Haku had managed to pull his blazer off your shoulders, using it as a curtain to cover you as you hastily fix your skirt and underwear.
“Isami-san.” Haku nods politely at him, not missing a beat. “What brings you out here in the cold?”
Yuri’s cheeks are beet-red, clearly caught off guard both by what he’d stumbled upon and by the coolness of Haku’s voice.
“I-I… I was…” Yuri takes a deep breath in an attempt to quell his embarrassment. “Have you seen Jiro?”
“O-oh, Jiro?” You pipe up, just having finished buckling Haku’s belt back up. He smiles down at you, lowering the blazer and draping it back over your shoulders as though nothing had happened. “I saw him sitting at the booths a while ago.”
“Hmph. I checked that area already, do you take me for a brainless worm!?”
“Uh, well, it was earlier when he was drinking wine with Ed and—”
“WINE?” Yuri nearly yells, yanking the bar door wide open as he disappears back inside. “Jiro is unable to have any alcoholic beverages of any sort! His body doesn’t have the proteins or enzymes to properly process anything including food, let alone produce aldehyde dehydrogenase to process alcohol—”
You follow him with Haku at your heels as he stamps purposefully into the bar.
“JIRO-KUN!”
“I— uh—”
“WHERE IS JIRO-KUN!?”
“Yuri, I think he’s right—”
“DOES ANYONE KNOW OF JIRO’S WHEREABOUTS?!”
Haku places a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Yuri. I think Y/N’s found him over there by the booths—”
Yuri hurries over, clutching his medical bag. Jiro is laying down horizontally on the booth, his head hidden from view as he uses Ed’s legs as a pillow. Panic fills the doctor’s eyes as he immediately checks his pulse, counting the time he takes between breaths.
“We need to immediately administer a gastric lavage. He’s exhibiting signs of alcohol poisoning. Y/N, look in my bag for the nasogastric tubing and the suction unit, and you— HEY! Vampire! Sit him upright!”
“Huh?” Ed’s eyes flutter open. “Why, what’s the cause for all this sudden commotion?”
“Yuri, is this the tubing you’re—”
Yuri snatches a coil of clear silicone from your hand, eyes watering as he turns to Ed. “SIT HIM UP IMMEDIATELY!”
Ed pushes Jiro up with much groaning and difficulty as Yuri snaps on a pair of latex gloves. “Ah… Pardon my interruption, Isami-san, but—”
“Wow, I didn’t think I’d see someone get their stomach pumped out in the middle of the—”
“SHUT UP, KUSANAGI!” Yuri’s eyes are watery as he threads the silicone down from Jiro’s nose. “Come on… come on come on come on…” His voice is soft, almost coaxing as he gently pushes up inch after inch of tubing.
“Y/N, pass me the suction now!” He holds his hand out, not bothering to turn to you.
You fumble around in the medical bag. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what a suction—”
“The clear syringe!! Do all of you here have parasites in your brain?!” He grabs the plastic syringe from your hand the moment you pick it up. “How anything here gets done I have no clue. And get me some water!”
Ed pours a glass of water from the pitcher on the table, before attempting once again to interrupt. “Again, Isami, I don’t think—”
“QUIET, YOU INSOLENT WORM!”
“Yes, sir.” Ed leans back against the booth and takes out his phone.
“You don’t think.” Yuri grumbles under his breath, his trained hands pulling the liquid from Jiro’s stomach through the tubing and into the syringe. “That’s the issue with everyone here, no one thinks, and then I have to come in and fix everything!”
Once the syringe fills, he empties the swirling red-brown contents into a nearby wine glass. Next, he fills the syringe with water, injecting it into Jiro’s stomach before pulling the liquid back out— the colour evidently diluted from the water, though still a brownish substance. He repeats the process several more times until the fluid coming out of Jiro is nearly completely clear.
His fingers quiver as he disconnects the syringe from the tube. “Jiro…” He’s sitting straddled on top of Jiro’s legs, tears glistening and running down his cheeks. “J-Jiro-kun… Why… Why did you…” Yuri slams his first into his chest.
Jiro’s eyes shoot open.
“Oh. Yuri. What are you doing here?”
“Jiro!!!” A loud sob wracks through Yuri’s body. “You… You careless, brainless germ!” He pounds his hands into Jiro’s chest again, burrowing his face into Jiro’s shirt as he waves everyone else away.
“This is uncomfortable. Can I remove the tubing from my nose?”
“I— I told you you’re not allowed to drink! I specifically said…” Jiro’s arms wrap around Yuri’s shivering body as he continues to sob into him. “Why… Why did you… Why would you… Do you have a death wish?!”
“Drink?”
“Y-you… I gave you a gastric lavage to purge the wine you so carelessly consumed from your system! Do you not have any remorse? Any idea what kind of pain you put me through?! Any idea how much of my skill and expertise and precious time you just wasted?!”
“I didn’t drink any wine.”
Yuri’s head twists to look at the wine glass behind him, now filled nearly to the brim with a mix of Jiro’s stomach contents and water. “B-b-but…”
“That’s just bile.”
“But why weren’t you responding when—”
“Oh. Did you see Subaru’s performance earlier? There was a scene where he was laying motionless on the ground, so Ed and I decided to emulate once the performance finished. Subaru-san is very talented.”
“Y-you… You were playing dead?! Why didn’t you stop me?”
Ed cuts in, a bemused look in his eye. “Isami-san, If I may. We were having a friendly challenge to see who could hold the pose the longest.”
Suddenly, a retch from behind, followed by a loud screech.
“ERRANT!!!!!!!”
You whip around to see Romeo with pure fury blazing from every one of his perfectly moisturized pores.
“THESE ARE LIMITED EDITION HERMÈS ALLIGATOR LEATHER WINGTIPS, YOU BBT!!!!”
“What’s a BBT?” Haru asks from the bar counter.
“BLIND BRAINLESS TWAT!” You look down to where Romeo’s feet are to see a pile of vomit piled neatly on top of his Limited Edition Hermès Alligator Leather Wingtips.
“Oh my fucking god.” You grab a pile of napkins and shove it in Romeo’s hands, before rushing behind the bar in search of a towel you could use to dampen and wipe his shoes with. Beside you, Luca’s head is buried in the sink as he starts to retch again.
“Luca, are you alright?”
He shakes his head no as he continues to retch. Reaching up behind Rui, you grab an empty glass and fill it with water, before gently placing your hand on Luca’s back, rubbing soothing circles.
“It’s okay, Luca. It’s better out than in.”
He coughs, gasping for air, then retches again.
“Wow, you… you’ve been throwing up a lot tonight.” Your eyes well up as the stench of stomach acid fills the air, and you force yourself to swallow an incoming gag. “I’m just gonna turn on the sink to wash some of it away, okay, Luca?”
He nods, trying to hold himself together before spewing all over the sink again.
“Um… Rui, is this normal?”
Rui shrugs. “Yeah, happens every time he comes in. One drink and it’s Chunder City. No idea why he keeps trying, though.”
Luca cups a handful of water and swishes it around his mouth before dry heaving again for a few moments. “Ugh… Kaito said I should try to drink more to increase my tolerance…”
“WHY WOULD YOU LISTEN TO THAT SLMOFL!?”
You roll your eyes, gesturing to Rui to take your place in caring for Luca while you bring a wastebasket to Romeo’s side to toss out the dirty napkins.
“Ah– Romi-romi-san, what’s a SLMOFL?” Rui asks as he places his hand on Luca’s back.
“A SHRILL LITTLE MONEY-OWING FRECKLED LOSER, OBVIOUSLY!!”
“Hey!” Luca says between bouts of vomit before retching again. He whips around, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his blazer as he storms up to Romeo. “Don’t you dare talk about my friend like that!”
“Wait, no, Luca!” You grab his arm, leading him back to the sink.
“Luca, you better keep your head in this sink until you’re sure you won’t cause any more cleaning fees in my bar,” Rui sighs. “Here. Drink some water.”
“Hmph!” Romeo rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms tightly over his chest. “Well? Finish cleaning my shoes, BB.”
You kneel back down, tossing away more soiled napkins while trying not to gag again as you pick up chunks of what looks like half-digested hors d'oeuvres off his very expensive sounding shoes.
As you finish polishing the last bits off, a sing-song voice echoes from behind you.
“Sho-chan~! What’s taking the drinks so long?” You hear footsteps stop behind you, followed by the flash of a phone camera directly in your face. “Pfft, Honour Roll, you’re such a simp, always cleaning up everyone’s… whatever that is.”
“Fuck off, Leo.” You stand back up, meeting his golden cat-like eyes with an air of displeasure.
“You’re so cute, Honour Roll. Hey, what are you offering her in exchange for a shoe cleaning, Romi-san?” Leo finishes the last few drops of his drink before reaching his fingers into the empty cup, holding an ice cube up to your face. He leans in close, voice low. “Do you think this is enough for me to get a free shoe cleaning as well?”
The blood drains from your face. “Were you… The one in the…” Fuck, of course he was.
“Were you the one in the what?” Sho strides over, handing Leo his drink before taking a sip of his own.
“Don’t worry about it, Sho-chan~,” Leo coos before gently ruffling Sho’s hair. “Sounded like a good time though, no, Honour Roll? Where’s the Frostheim Nepo Baby now, anyway?”
“I— I don’t know…”
“Ugh. C’mon, don’t be so sulky. Come have a drink with us.” He signals to Rui, who nods and makes a glass of something pinky-red and sparkling with a layer of creamy foam on top. “Look, we’re matching! Festive, right?”
“I guess…”
Leo pulls you to sit with them, pressing you down into the seat next to him. You realize it’s coincidentally directly in the line of sight of where Alan and Tohma are sitting. But it’s Leo, and there are no coincidences, and both you and Sho immediately realize his plan as he reaches his hand out for yours.
Sho rolls his eyes. “Fuck, Leo. Really? Here?”
“What? This is the best time to do it. Aren’t you curious, Sho-chan?”
The blonde doesn’t reply, and Leo smirks as he concentrates. “Great. Okay, now both of you shut the fuck up while I listen.”
Leo closes his eyes, nodding to himself as he eavesdrops. Sho shoots you an apologetic glance as he nervously scratches the back of his neck.
You watch as Alan and Tohma talk in the quiet booths in the corner. Alan’s sitting, holding his drink, while Tohma stands slightly away from him as if he’d casually run into him. They look comfortable with each other, with Alan even laughing at something Tohma says.
Not long after, Alan scoots over, inviting his ex-Vice Captain to sit. They remain apart, though there’s a strange familiarity between them. After a few minutes, Tohma offers Alan a taste of his sparkly drink, which he hesitantly accepts. As he sips it, Tohma moves closer, smoothly placing his hand on the Vagastrom Captain’s leg.
“Look, Alan’s face is all pink,” you whisper, watching as hands the glass back to Tohma.
Leo snickers. “Those two are definitely fucking. Or used to. Or going to. Or all the above.”
“The bet’s that they would fuck tonight, dumbass,” Sho says.
“I know, dumbass. Shut up, I’m listening.”
“You guys bet on if they would fuck tonight?”
“Yeah. Leo said they wouldn’t, but I said they would. If I lose, I have to wear a cat onesie to work the food truck. If I win, Leo has to wear one on one of his livestreams.”
You stifle a giggle, taking a sip of your drink.
“Shut up, Honour Roll. You’re making it hard to listen in. But you know what, I shoulda put money on you instead.”
“Me?!”
“Yeah, you. You know what I’m talking about, Hotarubi.” He eyes Haku’s blazer that’s still draped over your shoulders.
You laugh nervously, averting your eyes as you move to sip your drink again.
“Wait, Honour Roll. Happy New Year.” Leo raises his glass. “May you not die in a few months so you can keep helping me eavesdrop.”
“I guess that’s as good of a compliment as I could expect from you.”
“Okay, now shut the fuck up.”
“Leo, stop being such a prick.”
“You like it.”
“I’m just used to it.”
“Pfft. No, remember? You said last night you liked it.”
“…Shut up.”
“Wait wait wait wait wait.” You pull your hand from Leo’s grasp with a chuckle. “What the fuck was that? Are you guys fucking? Should I have put money on you two?”
Sho flushes deep red, while Leo rolls his eyes.
“Maybe. Now gimme your fucking hand so I can find out where they’re meeting later so we can follow them to know for sure who’s the winner. Honour Roll, you’re coming with us, right? I need to use your enhancing powers.”
“Leave me out of this.”
Suddenly, a sword slices through the air in front of you, temporarily severing the time and space of the bar as the Frostheim Nepo Baby steps out from thin air.
“Woah?!”
“Ishibashi.” Jin’s voice is a low, commanding growl that turns heads from across the room. He’s drunk and he’s furious, wobbling as he beelines to Tohma.
“My King.” Tohma stands up and steps in front of the still-steated Alan. He’s about to bow politely, but Jin’s hand grabs him by the bottom of his jaw, the forceful impact sounding in the air.
Jin brings his face right up against Tohma’s, and you can see even from the distance you’re at that his grip is clawing hard into the hollows of his cheeks. The blonde remains silent, yet stoic.
“Shut up.”
In a fraction of a second, Jin’s sword is out, the sharp edge of the steel pressed flush against his Vice Captain’s throat.
Alan stands abruptly, snatching Tohma out of Jin’s grip while knocking over the table in front of him, sending glasses flying across the floor of the bar.
“Stay out of this Mido, I can handle—”
In an instant, Sho’s already across the room, fists held. Alan immediately yanks the tail of his jacket, before grabbing an easy hold on Sho’s arm and holding him away from Jin. “Stay out of this, Bandana. It’s not your fight.”
“You’ve even got the Vagastrom newbies tucked under your belt, Ishibashi?” Jin circles Tohma, the sword back against his neck as Alan struggles to hold Sho back. “What, are you fucking the entire house of degenerates now?”
Tohma chuckles, though he doesn’t respond, which only further irritates Jin. The Frostheim Captain turns his attention to Sho, hand still on the sword at Tohma’s neck.
“Didn’t think a scrawny little thing like you would be his type. But, what do I know, right?”
“Pfft.” From beside you, Leo groans and rolls his eyes, standing up and waltzing over. “You think he’d want anything to do with your washed up three-eyes of a subordinate?” He stands directly in front of Jin, shoving a casual hand into his pocket as he pops his gum loudly in his mouth. “Hi, Kamurai.”
“What the fuck, Leo?!” Sho frantically scrambles for his friend as Alan struggles to hold him back, deciding instead to throw the blonde over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“While it's endearing to see, Mido, you really need to get your first years under control.” A thick drop of blood slowly runs down Tohma’s neck. “Perhaps a lesson for all of us about minding our own business, hm?” He looks Jin in the eye. “As we’ve discussed, Mido and I have a purely professional relationship, My King. Now, if you’d prefer talking this through rather than making a fool out of all of us, I suggest we retire for the rest of the evening.” The drop of blood soaks into the hem of his crisp, white shirt.
Jin’s eyes stare daggers into Tohma as he stands, unmoving.
“Oh, and Mido— I suggest leaving with your two adorable little puppies now before this one,” he motions to Leo, “Says something he might regret.”
Leo laughs cunningly. “Ooh, I’m starting to see now why you’re fun.”
Alan huffs, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Fine.” He effortlessly picks Leo up, slinging him over his other shoulder. All eyes are now on him as he walks out of the bar, and you scurry to open the door for him.
“Wow, you’re so strong, Mido-senpai!” Leo laughs, squirming slightly as Alan carries him out the door. “By the way, what’s going on between you and three-eyes?”
“Nothing. We just work together.”
“Is that what you tell yourself when his hand’s caressing the inside of your thigh?”
“Shut the fuck up, Leo!”
“Haah. Make me, Sho-chan~”
You put all your weight on the door as you forcefully slam it shut.
It seems as though the party is finally starting to wind down. Rui’s sweeping the broken glass off the floor, Jin and Tohma nowhere to be found (likely clipped out of the current plane of existence). Taiga remains on the floor where you’d first seen him, spooning a wolfy Lyca, who’s nestled with his face in the redhead’s chest. Jiro and Yuri have made up, and have started experimenting on Ed, whose sleeves are rolled up as they draw fluids from his veins as he plays on his phone with Ren. Kaito is holding a glass of water up to Luca’s face, encouraging him to sip it, though he ignores him, forehead laying flat against the bar counter. Haru sits beside them, loudly explaining to Towa why he can’t start a blizzard just because he feels a little jealous that Ren had caught you when you had tripped earlier. Romeo is behind the bar, running his expensive shoe under the faucet while standing one one leg. Subaru dances alone in the middle of the bar, while Zenji plays the lute and hums a soothing melody. Ritsu is passed out on a booth nearby, his Compendium of Laws and voice recorder sit scattered on the floor, recording everything, unbeknownst to everyone.
A familiar slender arm snakes down your chest from behind.
“You plan on taking my blazer home with you?”
“Oh…” You turn around, moving to remove it to return it to its rightful owner.
“Nah, it’s alright. I’m just teasing. It’s cold out, you should wear it back to your dorm.”
“Oh.” You pull it back tighter around yourself.
“Why do you sound so disappointed?” A knowing smirk dances across Haku’s face.
“I’m just worried you’ll be cold,” you reply. “But—” You stop mid sentence, embarrassed.
“But what?”
You stand up on your tiptoes, lips right against his ear.
“But, maybe if you came with me, I could keep you warm?”
You’d never seen Haku flustered before; somehow, he’s finally at a loss for words. He picks you up in a princess carry, kicks open the bar door, and takes you home.
I think the archer likes you... but what does that include?
This starter pack includes: WickChat messages, a short drabble, WickHive posts, a sneak peek at your date, and a playlist!
For the life of him, Kaito could not sit still at the library. He just kept fidgetting, his hands reaching for his phone, re-reading the messages he’d received over and over again. Every time he tore his eyes away from the screen, he convinced himself that he was making it up all over again.
Was I really asked out on a date?
It didn’t feel like it was really happening. What it felt like was panic - his heart racing in his chest, his eyes darting around Darkwick’s library looking for you. This was something out of his wildest dreams, the ones that felt so improbable that he’d wake up laughing at himself.
Each time he checked, though, it was real. He was really asked out on a date by his number one crush.
Nerves had brought him to the library early, but now that he was there, he wished that he hadn’t shown up half an hour before you did. It only put him on edge, as if he were expecting you to come in at any second, his heart jumping every time he saw movement at the entrance in the corner of his eyes.
He drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Calm down Kaito, you’ve got this,” he spoke softly to himself, deciding a pep-talk was long overdue. “I mean, you were the one who was asked out, so it’s not like you can get rejected! The worst part is over! You just have to make sure you don’t make a fool out of yourself!”
That was much easier said than done, though. As he spoke, though, he felt himself starting to calm down. It helped that having his eyes closed combatted his urge to keep his eyes on the door or check his phone for the tenth time in a minute. “It’s going to be fine. You’re going to be smooth as...” he trailed off, searching for a word.
“Silk?” a familiar voice piped in, offering him a word during his hesitation.
“Yes! Silk! That’s exactly it!” Kaito grabbed onto the word before processing who it was that interjected. His eyes snapped open the moment he realized it, his gaze locking onto yours. Reflexively, he lurched back, his chair nearly tipping backward in the process. “I - I didn’t see you come in!”
Your hands reached out as his chair tipped, grabbing the back and pushing him forward to study him. “Of course you didn’t see me come in, your eyes were closed,” you teased him. “And be careful! I don’t want my study partner to send himself to the infirmary before we even get started!”
Study partner... not your date? Kaito thought, offering a light laugh and smile as he processed the statement. “Sorry, you just surprised me,” he excused, one hand going to the back of his neck to rub it nervously. “Should we get started, then? What did you have to work on?” Did I assume too much? The text said date, but... maybe that wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.
Despite his attempt to mask his disappointment, the shade of sadness lacing his tone was apparent. “Just a few things for Enigmaology... I’ve been having a hard time with the exams,” you responded, eyes narrowing on his expression. “Is something wrong?”
“Hm? Oh, nothing!” Kaito waved away the concern with a swatting hand. “I’m fine!” Of course the ‘date’ part wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.
He’s such a liar, you thought. “Next time... let’s see if we can get an R&R permit approved,” you suggested, suspecting you knew the reason behind his sudden melancholy. “We can go to a café and we’ll have a proper study date instead of improvising on campus. Okay?”
As if a flip had been switched, Kaito perked up again, sitting up in his chair. “You - you want to go on a real date?” Kaito asked, voice hopeful.
There was a shine in his eyes that was hard not to smile at. There was something undeniably cute about the archer when he grinned - he became as bright as sunshine whenever he was happy. The joy was infectious, and you couldn’t help but meet his hopeful tone with a smile of your own. “Of course. We’ll consider this practice for the real thing, okay?”
With renewed hope, Kaito nodded, his mind already racing to next time. “There’s this café I’ve heard some students talking about that’s not too far from campus, so we could go there if you really wanted to. It shouldn’t be too hard to get an R&R permit. I mean, it’s not like I have any missions coming up that I know of-”
“Woah, slow down,” you cut him off, clearing a place next to him and slamming down the full weight of your study materials, causing the table to shake. “Don’t get distracted. I really do need someone to study with me. If you get distracted, I will too, and we’ll have to do more studying than dating at that café.”
“Right! Sorry,” Kaito apologized, letting out a nervous laugh. “I was getting ahead of myself there, wasn’t I? I’ll bring it down a notch. That was probably embarrassing to watch.”
You hummed, considering the statement. “Just a little,” you teased him, leaning over to lightly bump his shoulder against yours. “But that’s okay. I like that about you.”
“I like that about you.” Kaito replayed the words in his mind. This had felt like a guessing game from the beginning - and he couldn’t decide if his prediction that this was a date was just wishful thinking.
Hearing you say that, though, gave the archer more hope than he’d ever allowed himself to have before.
The Archer sent you a playlist! Click here to listen~!
A little Alan X Reader drabble because honestly he should have been in the latest episode!!
Content: sfw, g/n reader, pre-established relationship, a little jealousy, takes place after reader gets back from the island mission. possibly ooc? I don't have a good grasp on Alan. Ending kind of falls flat idk I'm bad at endings.
Alan didn't like how often you had to go out on missions. You're just a human- fragile. He'd never want you to get hurt. But hearing that you'd gone to an island for a dating show filled him with a new kind of worry. Just what kind of things has Darkwick been putting you up to? What does a dating show have to do with curses or anomalies or.....
Those three days you were gone, out being a prize for other ghouls, it was like hell. On top of that he couldn't even call or text you.
You missed him just as much as he yearned for you though. So you asked him to come meet you later that night out by the cathedral. It took him no time at all to come to your door, a bouquet of "flowers" in his hands. It was really just weeds and some local wildflowers you'd see all around campus... but you appreciated the gesture regardless.
"You're back .... I missed you."
He spoke plainly before enveloping you in a hug, pulling back, and then going back in once more as he threw caution of his strength to the wind.
"I missed you too. I wish you could have gone with me- the island was so beautiful! The food was great too and-"
You cut yourself off once you notice the slight look of dejection on your lover's face.
"-While I was there I.... I keep looking at the stars every night. For some reason they reminded me of you. And I'd wonder.... if you were looking up at the same stars as me."
Alan's expression softened at your confession.
"I'll look at the stars next time we're apart then."
He smiled and patted your head gently- as if he was stroking a delicate flower. The sweet touch made you smile with him in a blissful sigh.
"I should get ready to sleep. But I'll come see you tomorrow! I promise!"
You kissed the tall ghoul's cheek ( just barely) and gave him a little squeeze. Like the hug equivalent of a peck.
"Goodnight. Sleep well. I'm happy I got to see you."
Dating Jo means he'd let you do his makeup whenever you like, skincare too. You’d even be making costumes for Dionysia’s next show.
He’d absolutely love it that you’re a performance makeup artist who likes to test out new layouts and new looks for each seasonal show of Dionysia. He’d fall in love with you again and again every time you say, “This palette suits you,” or “That accessory would match your performance costume.”
And since he knows how to cut MC’s hair, he definitely knows how to maintain it properly. He loves collecting and maintaining wigs for other students to use in their performances.
Yes, he is a theater kid in some way.
If you're thinking about what symbol you should paint on his face today, he'd definitely say a heart or two hearts, cutie.
And he absolutely loves it when you stand in front of him to do his makeup while he's sitting down. He likes when you lean down a bit closer to his face to get better access to work on your task. And he absolutely loves it when you do the moisturizer step for his skin too. He loves to feel your fingertips on his face and likes being close to you.
He loves you a lot, a lot.
Every time you do his makeup, he has those lovesick, drunk puppy eyes following every small movement you make. It kind of distracts you a bit, and you have to tell him to close his eyes so you can focus.
You need to be professional!!!!
He would absolutely ask you to help him remove his makeup after a long, tough show. He'd claim he is too tired and lazy to do it, but in reality, he just enjoys you taking care of him and paying attention to him.
He knows he's good-looking, and he knows you enjoy admiring his features, so he uses that card right.
And when you're gently wiping away the paint and product off his face, his performance look always very detailed and layered, you have to lean down a bit closer to wipe away the product completely and clean it properly.
"You can come a bit closer."
Jo speaks up as he sees you struggling to clean his face properly. Your gaze meets his twinkling teal eyes, glistening under the light.
"I could if your legs weren't so stupidly long."
He laughs at your comment, a strand of hair falling over his forehead as his shoulders shake slightly.
"Sorry about that." He then tries to pull his legs back a bit to create more space for you to stand, but just ends up bunching all his long legs in the same spot.
You raise your eyebrows as if you want to ask him, are you serious?
He lets out a troubled smile as he stretches his legs a bit, then finally settles into a manspreading position to create space between them.
It's such a funny sight to see because Jo rarely sits like that. To be honest, you've never seen him sit in that position before. You can't help but let out a small laugh before moving closer and continuing to help him clean his face.
You try to focus, but slowly you can sense the burning gaze on your face again. He's staring at you again. You shift awkwardly as you speak up.
"Can you stop staring at me?" you ask while trying to ignore his gaze.
"What else am I supposed to look at?" He leans up a bit to meet your gaze once again. "You're the only one in front of my eyes right now."
That makes your face heat up a bit. God, he's so shameless sometimes.
But it’s something you love about him. He speaks straight from his heart. He isn't afraid to express his love and passion for anything or anyone he cares for.
And half of the time, you don't even know how to answer or deal with his blunt flirting. So you just ignore him while lightly shoving his shoulder to prevent him from leaning any closer and you return your focus to your work.
And that might not satisfy him at all, because your attention seems to be on him but at the same time not. When you turn to change the cotton pad for a new, clean one and dampen it with the remover liquid, you turn back to him once again.
The dampness touches his skin as he suddenly turns his face slightly to kiss into your palm. You almost jump at the soft touch as you look at him.
"I'm trying to work here," you remind him, but he just looks at you with a smirk as if he doesn't care what trouble he might cause you.
Because Jo, in most students' eyes, is always some reliable captain, understanding, friendly, and soft spoken. He's like the big brother to them alongside Elias. But when he's around you, he always shows that mischievous side of him with the boyish smile you'd rarely see in public.
As he finally sits still, you lift your hand once again and remove the last remaining product.
"I will let the remover-" you speak to him and are about to pull away.
His large hands slide up to your hips and waist so smoothly. You look at him in disapproval but don't really push him away.
"Jo-"
"Can you stay a bit longer?" he asks as he looks up at you, his brows frowning slightly as he gives you the biggest glistening eyes, making you almost have to look away or else you might give in to him.
"Shouldn't you rest early? You have a meeting tomorrow morning," you remind him as his arms tighten around your waist. "You haven't even changed-"
He pulls you slightly closer to him as your hands rest on his broad shoulders. He keeps cutting through your talking and you can't help but huff out.
Is it your fault for having such a clingy boyfriend?
To be honest, you don't hate this side of him, especially when only you get to see it. On stage, he always shines so brightly and stands so tall. But behind the scenes, he's such a clingy, needy giant kitty.
Always teasing you, messing with you, whispering shameless flirting to you until you can't help but fall right into his honey trap.
You sigh as your eyes meet his handsome face. His tall nose bridge is kissed by the light so softly, and his sunken teal sharp eyes look even more shimmering when you view him this closely.
And those stares always so full of something you can't quite tell. Some yearning, some expectation, some anticipation as he nuzzles his head against you softly. You can't help but pat his hair gently as your fingers thread through the soft texture smoothly.
"I think you've become more clingy, Jo," you make a small comment.
And suddenly one of his arms slides up to your back, his large hand spreading open as he suddenly gives you a small push and pulls you right onto his lap.
"Oh, you have no idea how clingy I can be," he admits without batting an eye as he shifts a bit on his seat to hold you in a more comfortable position.
"I think I can," you answer as if you've just accepted a challenge.
He lets out a chuckle as he lays his head on your shoulder slightly, tilting it softly as his gaze meets yours. His hair tickles your skin slightly as you look at him, letting him wrap around you like some vine. The smell of his hair wax is floral like as it floods your lungs.
"No, you don't," he answers, almost a murmur between his smile.
And when his warm breath brushes against your skin, you reach your hand up. He sighs out a soft, satisfied sound. It makes you wonder, if he's indeed a giant kitty, would he be purring right now under your touch?
"Am I doing good work today?" he suddenly asks as you shift your gaze back to him.
"Yes, you did great today, Jo. Like you always do."
And he laughs, giggling on your shoulder as if your praise really tickled his heart the right way.
"I like it when you praise me," he admits honestly. "Do I deserve more?"
He asks as he lifts his head up from your shoulder.
You laugh at his antics as you hold his face gently before tilting your head closer and pressing your lips on his. You give him a peck on his lips, on his cheek, both sides, his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows, between his eyebrows, on his forehead again, the corner of his lips, literally everywhere you can scatter your kisses, you would definitely travel your lips there.
And you earn such an echoing laugh from him as you finally pull away.
"Satisfied?"
He still laughs as his chest rumbles against you. He nods, then shakes his head again.
"Never," he answers before leaning in to kiss you.
His lips press softly over yours as you wrap your arms around his neck, kissing him back. It feels sweet and tender. He always kisses you like that, as if you're made of paper, so easy to tear apart if he moves too quickly. As if you're a petal, a drop of morning dew in his eyes, and he has to be gentle and careful with you.
You lean in to kiss him again, wanting to take the lead. And as kindhearted as Jo is, he allows you to. He lets your kiss crash over his, letting your tongue guide his as he leans back slightly, his hands on either side of your hips, afraid you might fall off.
When you finally pull away, your hand caresses his face gently, brushing away the stray strand scattered over his forehead as he laughs again.
Jo laughs a lot, and you love that. But you love it most when he laughs with you. He looks so relaxed and happy and beautiful like that, which makes you can't help but lean in and kiss him even more.
If you had lipstick on, it must have smudged all over his face by now.
He suddenly leans back slightly from your kiss, and you frown in disapproval.
"Sorry, but it's my turn, Cutie," he breathes out those words like a whisper as he caresses the side of your face before kissing you.
You almost fall off, but his strong grip holds you steady as he tilts his face to the right angle to get better access to your lips, kissing you as if he savors every single taste he can. Invading your breath so much that you feel it's hard to breathe. Even then, you tighten your arms around his neck as he lets out a soft chuckle between kisses.
You're no different from him. All desperate and yearning for each other, aren't you? You two are both hopelessly in love. You can't help it, how he finds you too adorable to resist, and how you find him too attractive not to be pulled in by him.
As his kiss seems to grow even deeper and more heated, the embarrassed sounds you two make might send anybody's face flushing if they could hear it.
Someone knocks on the door. The sound is steady as it echoes in the room, making you both stop what you're doing.
"Jo?"
You hear Mio's voice as he seems hesitant to speak behind the closed door.
"Elias said he needs to talk with you... I hope I didn't come at a bad time."
Jo pulls his attention back to you and lets out a hopeless smile.
"Sorry, cutie. Can you return first?" he asks as he presses a soft kiss over your hair, right at the side of your head. You give him a nod.
"I'm coming," he answers shortly.
He helps you get off him.
"I'll make it quick and be right back to you," he promises and pats your head softly. "You can go to bed first."
And you give him one last kiss on the cheek before he leaves the room, as if you two lovebirds can't be separated for even one second.
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Pairing: Haku Kusanagi x F! Hotarubi! Reader
Tags: Nemesis/Rivals (one-sided), implied arranged marriage, spiritual rituals & ceremonies, red thread of fate, slowburn payoff, kiss, teasing/flirting, soft Haku, tipsy confession, fluff.
Note: I always found it funny that Haku got paired up with that one overachieving, honor student! Reader.
Masterlist
Maybe you were born into the same kind of traditional heirline, filled with etiquette, just like Haku. But the thing is, you were always compared to him.
“The son of Kusanagi this,” “the son of Kusanagi that.”
And it frustrated you because you felt that no matter how hard you tried or how much you achieved, you were still somehow a step behind Haku.
And!
You. Couldn’t. Stand. That!
Ever since you were a kid, you had always been compared to him, to the point that you didn’t even know his face, yet remembered his name better than your own parents’.
Because of that, you developed a one-sided grudge against Haku. You tried so hard to achieve what he could and couldn’t, but every time you succeeded at something, you’d hear remarks like:
“Oh, the future heir of the Kusanagi already did that when he was twelve.”
You grew too tired of the nagging and comparisons, to the point that even in your dreams, you were haunted by nightmares, people surrounding you, repeating his name, looking down on you for being unable to match him.
And just when you thought nothing could get worse, the day came when every sorcerer family had to gather at the Shinto Shrine for one of the cleansing ceremonies. It was a ritual held by each family’s ancestors, once every hundred years, to guide spirits into the other world and preserve the balance of the spiritual realm.
You met Haku there for the very first time.
He and Mr. Kusanagi were the ones hosting the ceremony. After each step, other families would take their turn to proceed with it. You remembered the vast staircase at the shrine, larger than any temple or shrine you had ever visited.
Why had you never been to the Shinto Shrine before?
To be honest, there had never been a reason. You had older siblings, so most of the time you didn’t have to handle many rituals. However, because Haku turned out to be around your age and the youngest heir among the families, his name kept appearing in your life.
The first time you saw Haku was when you were walking up those stairs with other miko to continue the ceremony. While your group moved forward, the Kusanagi group was coming down.
It was only a brief encounter. You could only see the side of his face because his ofuda mask covered most of it.
You could already feel the energy radiating from him, it's so heavy and dark, as if a thousand crying spirits clung to him, haunting and tangling themselves in the long sleeves of his kannushi robe.
It must have frightened most people around him, at least those with the ability strong enough to sense his presence from afar. It made your throat dry and your stomach twist, as if you could cough up blood at any moment.
Even someone like you, accustomed to dealing with curses and spirits, nearly passed out from the suffocating aura he carried, let alone everyone else.
So it made you curious. It made you steal a glance at him from the corner of your eye.
All you saw was the thin layer of white fabric draped over his face. Prayers, seals, and his name were written across it. You couldn’t see his features, even at such close range.
But just as you were about to look away, a sudden gust of wind rose, as if it disturbed the sacred stillness of the ceremony.
And in that moment, just for a second, the wind mischievously lifted the thin fabric, revealing the side of his face. Your eyes captured it completely.
He was very young, just as people said.
But what caught your attention the most was his pair of green eyes.
They were sharp, almost snake-like, with a glimmer that barely pierced through the veil. They seemed to shimmer with a faint hint of yellow. You thought you must have imagined it.
But what stood out more was his gaze, it's so cold, sharp, and dark, holding stories you couldn’t begin to understand.
He didn’t seem to notice you. His eyes remained fixed ahead as he descended the stairs, standing tall, his presence alone enough to make others step aside and clear the path for him.
His sleeve brushed lightly against yours, so faint you didn’t even notice.
But perhaps, on that day, it created a thread that tied the two of you together.
⊹﹒⊹﹒⊹
Because an incident happened that day.
It was supposed to be a sunny day, no rain, no wind. The sky was meant to be a clear blue without even a hint of clouds, because that was strictly written in the rules of the ceremony. But unfortunately, the wind you felt on the stairs had already been a bad sign, one you didn’t quite notice because your attention was elsewhere.
That incident caused a lot of trouble. Fortunately, no one got hurt but not so fortunately for the Kusanagi family. Something had happened to their heir, which made everyone rush in a panic. You didn’t understand the circumstances and were evacuated along with the others.
Not long after that, you heard about Haku again. You didn’t know exactly what had happened, but now he had enrolled at Darkwick and was no longer present at the Shinto Shrine. If anything, he only returned occasionally for ceremonies. Other than that, he was practically confined to that island.
So, being the overachiever you were and with your family constantly comparing the two of you, you took the entrance exam to Darkwick. All your hard work paid off, and you successfully enrolled. But now that you were in the same place as Haku, the comparisons only grew stronger. It didn’t stop within your family anymore but spread through gossip and rumors among students across campus.
You were glad that you were in a different House from him. Otherwise, you might have gone insane seeing him every day, everywhere.
And well, being the overachiever you were, a change in environment didn’t hinder that part of you. What it did was challenge you and give you more motivation to achieve even more.
Unfortunately, after the Clash, many things changed. Every student in Hotarubi was certain that you would be the next vice-captain or maybe even captain. But due to the new policy Darkwick implemented after what had happened, only ghouls could be captain and vice-captain. And in your House, the only available ghoul at the time was Subaru.
Subaru told you he would ask the school to let you be vice-captain so you could support him with tasks, but Darkwick didn’t agree. Instead, they brought in another ghoul from a different House, someone transferred from Froistheim. You wondered who it was.
Until someone walked through the door and introduced himself.
Haku Kusanagi. Transfer from Froistheim to Hotarubi. The new vice-captain. He said he hoped you and Subaru would take care of him.
Your eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, your jaw almost hitting the floor.
Out of anyone! Anyone at all!
It had to be him?!
Was fate really that twisted? Did the universe hate you?
Why bring the person you had been compared to for almost half your life into the same House as you, and even hand him the position you had worked so hard for?
And since Haku didn’t know about the one-sided grudge you had against him, of course he was nice and friendly, though you could still see that laid-back attitude in him.
You almost furrowed your brows, your lips pressed into a thin line, clearly unhappy with Darkwick’s decision. But what could you do about it? Cry?
There was also one more thing.
Haku had technically enrolled a year earlier than you, which made him your senior. And with the polished image you maintained, of course you had to be polite to your senpai.
So you were forced to act formal and professional around someone you had held a one-sided grudge against since childhood, while he had absolutely no idea who you were.
Your first impression of Haku was that he was completely different from what you had imagined.
From all the rumors and gossip you had heard, you thought he would be cold, strict, and impeccably proper, the type who tolerated no nonsense, worked with precision, and demanded perfection. You had even felt nervous.
What if you didn’t perform well?
What if he didn’t like working with you and asked Subaru to replace you?
What if he saw you as “not enough” just like everyone else had since you were a child?
Those thoughts consumed you, making you stiff and tense whenever you were around him.
But in contrast to everything you expected, Haku was… surprisingly chill.
He was casual. He dropped formalities with ease. You had assumed that, since you both came from long-standing traditional families, he would be rigid and a bit rule bound like you.
But instead, he was far more relaxed than you ever imagined.
He was always telling you to loosen up. Always reminding you not to overwork yourself. Always insisting that you could relax around him.
And after working with him for a while, there was one thing you had to admit, you could understand why Darkwick had entrusted him with the role of vice-captain.
Not just in schoolwork, but in everything.
Missions, low rank or high rank, team-based or solo, he always completed them on time, sometimes even before the deadline. He finished reports faster than both you and Subaru. Even when he was on campus, he was constantly running around, handling small tasks.
It felt like he carried an overwhelming amount of responsibility while pretending not to.
He was more hardworking than most, yet always acted like a lazy, sleepy, drowsy person. You couldn’t tell if that was just his nature, or if he was simply exhausted from everything he had to do.
Yes, he was a reliable, easygoing senior.
But what stood out was that most students in your House sought him out whenever they needed help, even though he was new to Hotarubi.
Even though your captain was more available.
There was just something about him, something in his demeanor, that made people feel at ease around him.
And somehow…
It worked on you too.
When it was just the two of you, you found yourself relaxing more than usual. You didn’t have to be that perfect honor student everyone expected you to be.
⊹﹒⊹﹒⊹
But there was one thing you didn’t like about Haku.
Occasionally, he would tease you, even while you were working.
That was extremely unprofessional of him!!!
And why did his random, meaningless flirting make your heart beat so fast and your face heat up?
Damn it. You already knew he was trouble but not in this way.
You ignored his antics most of the time, but Haku seemed to notice your subtle attitude around him.
He would make small jokes.
“What should I do to make you like me more?”
Maybe he could start by not appearing out of nowhere when you were alone.
You still remembered almost tripping over him while walking through the engawa hallway, because of him.
He would randomly take naps everywhere around Hotarubi. He always seemed to enjoy short naps, especially during lunchtime. Maybe he had poor sleep, or maybe that was the only time he could rest his eyes.
You didn’t know.
But seeing him lounging around was… oddly interesting to you.
Because despite his casual, laid-back attitude, Haku rarely shared anything about himself. You didn’t know much about him, nor were you particularly curious. The two of you weren’t close enough to exchange personal stories.
So even though he always seemed to slack off, he was actually very serious about his work. You rarely saw him this relaxed.
Seeing him lying on the wooden floor, sunlight scattering across his face, a gentle breeze brushing past as soft purple petals drifted against his green, silky hair.
He looked peaceful like that.
But wasn’t the air a bit too cold to sleep like this?
And before you could even think it through, you had already gone to find a small blanket, draping it over him and covering him with a thin layer of soft fabric.
What you had come to understand about Subaru and Haku while working with them was this.
They both neglected their health. Just in different ways.
And you couldn’t accept that.
How could the pillars of your House be like this? Why were they so careless when it came to taking care of themselves?
So aside from being their assistant, you sometimes felt like you had to babysit them too.
Haku, for example, had a habit of not wearing his necktie. He claimed he would toss them somewhere and never find them again. As a result, during special events or formal occasions, he would have zero neckties to wear.
And then you had to run all over Hotarubi, asking to borrow one from other students.
Sometimes the length or color wouldn’t match his outfit, forcing you to ask students from other Houses as well.
Yes, Haku was reliable.
But at the same time, incredibly troublesome and annoying.
And you, someone who aimed for perfection, whenever you looked at Haku, you just wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him.
Though, knowing him, he would probably just laugh it off without a care.
So what exactly shifted in your relationship?
Well, even though you’re not a ghoul, your spiritual abilities are still very useful to Darkwick, so sometimes they pair you on missions with Haku, sometimes with Subaru as well.
It was during one particular mission, assigned to capture an anomaly that seemed to enjoy “spreading” love among random couples.
⊹﹒⊹﹒⊹
Based on the legend of this anomaly.
Long ago, at a small matchmaking shrine in the mountains, there lived a shrine maiden named Kikuri. She was famed for her ability to bless couples with unbreakable bonds. But when her own lover was taken by illness on the eve of their wedding, she went mad with grief. Using forbidden rites, she bound their souls together with a thread of violent divinity, so that even in death they could not part.
The gods, angered by her defiance, cursed her.
Her flesh dissolved. Her bones remained.
And the jar that held her lover’s ashes became her eternal prison.
Now she wanders, still seeking to “bless” others with the eternal bond she was denied, without understanding that what she gives is not love, but imprisonment.
Based on the description, the anomaly’s appearance is as follows.
A weathered ancient ceramic jar, approximately 40 cm tall, covered in fading ink inscriptions of couples’ names and dates from centuries past. The jar appears ordinary until activated. From its mouth emerges a zigzag paper strip made of luminous red light. This shide extends, splits into two, and wraps around the targets’ ankles or wrists.
At the anomaly’s core is the skeletal remains of an ancient shrine maiden wrapped in tattered white cloth, crouched eternally inside the jar. Her bony fingers still clutch ceremonial chopsticks used to cut spiritual threads.
The binding is called: Chained Fate.
Once activated, the anomaly manifests its binding through a visible red thread.
The thread appears as a single crimson strand, glowing faintly with spiritual energy.
It wraps around the wrists or ankles of the victims.
Maximum separation: 2 meters.
The problem is, no one knows how long the bond lasts. If the pair is unable to show enough affection toward each other, the thread might bind them together forever.
You had never imagined.
That you and Haku would become the victims.
⊹﹒⊹﹒⊹
Walking through the abandoned shrine, you were very careful as you stayed close to the others. But the deeper you went, the more spacious and different the scenery became. By the time you realized it, you had been separated from the others.
You looked around and called out their names, but there was no answer.
So you continued moving forward, only to see a small kamidana. It seemed to be worshipping something as it emitted a faint red light. You took out your phone, about to take a photo of the shrine. But when you snapped a picture, you saw the faint shadow of a shrine maiden on your screen. You almost dropped your phone, but when you looked up, nothing was there.
You stepped forward to observe the place more carefully, only to notice a ceramic jar sitting right in the middle. You were unsure what to do with it as you took out an omamori, holding it between your fingertips. The jar seemed normal as you prepared to wrap and seal it.
“Stop! Stay away from it!”
A voice shouted from behind you. You turned slightly and saw Haku standing at the doorway.
Before you could react, a sudden mist flashed across your vision like a shadow, and a red thread shot out from the jar, wrapping around your body.
You lifted your arm to shield yourself. When you opened your eyes, Haku was already in front of you, blocking whatever it was.
You peeked from behind him and saw a thin woman in a miko outfit, her long hair draping down and covering her face. She raised her hand, pointing at you and Haku but he had already lifted his flute and begun to play a soft melody.
The anomaly stiffened, its movements halted as if bound in place.
Soon, Subaru stepped into the room. You looked at the figure in front of you.
“Did we catch her?” you asked.
Haku’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Not yet. Can you grab the jar?” he asked quietly.
You quickly nodded and turned, only to find that the jar was no longer there.
“It’s not here anymore!” you alerted Haku, who seemed startled as well.
“Not good. Subaru, catch her!”
He shouted as the shadow rushed out of the room into the hallway. You ran after it, even passing Haku as you turned down the corridor. But suddenly, a powerful force yanked you backward, and you stumbled, falling onto the creaking wooden floor.
“Are you okay?” Subaru asked in panic as he saw you on the ground.
You shook your head, realizing you must have scraped your knees from the fall. Soon, Haku appeared at the corner, and you all looked at each other, only to realize.
Between you and Haku was a crimson thread, tightly wrapped around both your wrist and his.
You had got to be kidding me!!!
⊹﹒⊹﹒⊹
So until you figured out how to get rid of that thread, you and Haku were stuck together.
You even had to share a room. He was kind enough to put up a curtain to divide the space between your futon and his. But it still felt strange, especially when he had to stay outside the hall while you used the shower.
Oh god, just kill you already.
You stepped out into the wooden hallway, only to see Haku sitting calmly under the roof, gazing at the rainy night. You wondered how he could be so relaxed when the two of you were tied together, with no idea when you would be free from it.
“Hey,” he called casually, gesturing for you to sit beside him.
And you did.
The school had given you a few days off to figure out the thread, but you had gone through countless files and documents without finding any solution.
There was a small tray Haku had prepared, and he handed you a cup. The strong scent filled your lungs.
“Really? Sake? Right now?” you asked, your tone skeptical.
He just laughed as he picked up a document beside him.
“Maybe relaxing a bit tonight is a good idea.”
His voice was low and soft, almost as if the cool night air carried his words to brush against your ear.
Right. You knew he was trying to help you relax, as you had been nervous about staying in the same room with him. Maybe you should just drink and pass out. Going to bed normally might make it impossible to sleep, knowing he was just behind that thin curtain.
You looked at the small cup before taking a gulp.
Haku let out a laugh at your action as he also took a sip from his cup before flipping through the document again.
You could already feel the back of your neck heating up from that single gulp as you set the cup down.
“What are you looking at?”
You asked as he shifted slightly to let you see the paper more clearly.
“Some records about that anomaly. I wonder why it chose to bind us together.”
You moved closer to his side to read the paper in his hand, but he quickly pulled it away before you could.
“Let me read it too,” you said, but he had already put the file away.
“How about we loosen up for tonight? You’ve been busy all week.”
Same old Haku, always avoiding topics when things were about to get serious.
You were already used to that, so you didn’t push any further.
He lifted his hand and poured some liquid for both of you, then raised his cup toward you, gesturing for a toast. And you did, picking up your cup, the soft clink of the surfaces touching as you both took a gulp. Haku let out a satisfied, long sigh as the liquid seemed to warm his throat just as much as yours.
“Can you hold your liquor?” he asked, the same familiar smile on his face.
“A bit. I’ve had some during ceremonies with my family,” you answered honestly.
His gaze shifted to the rainy veil outside. The moonlight was faint tonight, but the dim glow still cast itself across the side of his face. His sharp eyes seemed to gleam, even with half of them buried in shadow.
It reminded you of the first time you saw him.
The same angle. The same sharp eyes.
The only difference was that they were no longer cold or distant. His lips curved slightly now, instead of resting in that thin, indifferent line.
“Do you… remember the day you became a ghoul?”
The question slipped from your tongue before you could stop yourself.
You almost bit your tongue right after, worried he might not like recalling it or that he might be offended. But he looked oddly calm about it.
“Not really. Most of my memories from that day are very blurry,” he answered quietly, his gaze still fixed on the rain.
And somehow, that made your heart twist.
Because it wasn’t exactly a special day for you either, but it was the first time you had ever seen Haku. Even if he didn’t notice you, even if it was brief, even if you couldn’t see him clearly, it was still the first time you met him.
So, in a way, it mattered to you.
You had thought it would be important to him too, since it marked the day his life completely changed.
But it didn’t seem to hold any special meaning for him.
Or maybe he just didn’t want to talk about it.
You couldn’t tell.
Because you never truly understood Haku, and you doubted anyone ever did. He always carried this strange air around him, as if he let people in while keeping them at a distance at the same time. No one seemed able to break through whatever barrier he had built.
“You were there too, weren’t you?”
His voice pulled you back.
Your eyes met his, and you realized he was already looking at you. Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest, you wondered if he knew you had stolen that glance at him that day.
“Yeah… I was there,” you replied simply. “It was the first time I saw you too.”
He chuckled, leaning back slightly, his palm pressing against the wooden floor behind him.
“I see,” he murmured, his gaze drifting back to the rain, as if recalling something from long ago. “It wasn’t the first time I saw you, though.”
That caught your attention immediately.
Because you were certain, you had never met anyone from the Kusanagi family before that.
And if you had… you didn’t remember.
“I don’t recall ever meeting you before that ceremony,” you said, curiosity creeping into your voice as he poured another cup of sake for both of you.
“Well, I only met you briefly. More like… saw you briefly.”
His answer only confused you more as you tried to search your memory for any trace of him.
He laughed softly at the way you seemed to freeze, like a malfunctioning machine.
“You wouldn’t remember, princess,” he said, the nickname rolling off his tongue naturally. “You seemed to be in quite a hurry at the time.”
He slipped his hand into the wide sleeve of his yukata and pulled out a small object.
A hair clip.
More specifically, a miko kanzashi.
It was part of the ceremonial attire, worn as a headdress.
“You even dropped this without realizing,” Haku said, holding it out to you.
Your gaze flickered from him to the clip resting in his palm.
You tried to recall when you might have lost it.
Back when you still served as a miko, you had lost countless accessories during ceremonies. Your parents would always scold you for it, but you had never quite been able to fix the habit of rushing through halls whenever you were in a hurry. And with how restrictive the ceremonial outfit was, it wasn’t unusual to lose something without noticing.
But soon you recognized it.
A slight dent at the edge. The fabric was faintly torn.
This was one of your oldest kanzashi.
The very first one your mother had placed in your hair when you first became a miko.
Since then, you had worn it in every ceremony.
When you lost it, you had been devastated. It meant so much to you.
Slowly, you reached out and took the clip from his hand. The fabric pressed gently against your fingers, but the warmth from his palm disappeared the moment he let go.
You stared at it, lost in thought.
“How did you have this?” you finally asked, lifting your gaze back to him.
He only smiled.
“You were rushing down the stairs in your Miko outifit. I thought you might fall but you didn’t,” he said, his smile deepening slightly as he recalled the memory. “Instead… you dropped your headdress, like some Cinderella past midnight.”
You had rushed past him as if he were nothing more than air.
So hurried that when the clip slipped from your hair, you didn’t even notice.
Your sleeve brushed lightly against the back of his hand.
By the time he bent down to pick it up and planned to return it.
You were already gone.
Like a fleeting spring spirit.
Like a breeze that brushed past him for a moment, only to disappear into the scenery.
If your scent hadn’t lingered in the air, he might have thought he had imagined you or mistaken you for a spirit.
The light had fallen perfectly across your face, brushing your hair in a soft glow as your eyes stayed focused ahead, uncaring of everything else around you.
A youthful spirit.
One he wished he still had.
Your cheeks burned at his words, and you quickly took another gulp from your cup to distract yourself.
“Slow down, princess. That’s quite strong, you know,” he chuckled, reminding you.
“I know, I can handle it,” you almost argued back out of embarrassment.
You always had that neat, proper, serious image in front of everyone. People rarely saw you lose your composure or rush around. But out of anyone who had to see you like that, Haku Kusanagi happened to be one of them.
Oh, fuck my life.
As you wailed internally, you fidgeted with the piece in your hand. Even after all this time, the fabric still seemed new, not worn nor frayed, as if it had been carefully preserved.
“Why didn’t you give it back to me?” you asked confused.
Knowing which family you were from, returning it wouldn’t have been difficult, right?
“Haha…” he let out a faint laugh. “I planned to…” He paused for a moment, recalling something, unsure how to continue. “When our families announced our marriage.”
“WHAT?!”
You nearly screamed, your voice cutting through the quiet rain.
What marriage?
You had never heard about this. You stared at Haku.
Maybe the alcohol was kicking in, you felt slightly tipsy. His face blurred in your vision as he laughed quietly at your reaction.
“I knew you’d react like that.” A hint of guilt laced his tone, this was the first time you had ever seen Haku troubled by something.
“At that time, my family was rushing me to marry, forcing me to choose a bride.” His gaze never left you as he spoke, his eyes faintly glinting in the dim light. “And… I happened to see your picture…” he continued awkwardly. “Before I realized it, I had already slid your picture over… haha.”
That was not something to laugh about.
Since when did your family arrange marriages? And with someone you had a one-sided grudge against?
And you had absolutely no idea about any of this.
Was it because it was the Kusanagi family, and their heir, no less, that your family agreed so quickly?
“I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I wanted to ask for your permission…” he explained, while you remained stunned, unable to process everything.
“I didn’t know anything about that…” you murmured.
“I doubt you would’ve said yes either way,” he replied, a hint of hopelessness in his voice, though his lips still curved slightly.
“It got canceled before I could announce it to you.”
“Why?” you asked again. Maybe it was the alcohol making your intrusive thoughts spill out, you were asking things you normally never would.
“…My circumstances at the time didn’t exactly make me ideal husband material,” he answered casually, but you could sense the bitterness and sadness beneath his tone.
“Was it after that ceremony?” you asked quietly.
He didn’t answer.
But his silence was enough.
His gaze drifted back to the rain, and yours followed. For a moment, neither of you spoke. The only sound between you was the rain growing heavier with each passing second.
You looked down at the kanzashi in your hand before setting it aside, as if putting the memory away as well. Then you poured yourself another cup of sake and raised it toward Haku, gesturing for a toast.
His eyes shifted to you, and he smiled softly before picking up his cup and clinking it against yours. You both took another sip.
“This is for you, Haku,” you said, his smile still lingering. “For being a good vice-captain of Hotarubi and completing so many missions.”
You weren’t very good at comforting people. You weren’t sure what to say, but you tried your best.
As your hands lifted, the red thread between you seemed to glow darker under the dim light.
“Thank you,” he replied softly, his gaze flickering to the string binding you together.
“So… I guess that’s why that Miko bound us together?” you said, though it sounded more like a doubtful question.
“Maybe. It feels like unresolved business between us,” he answered.
“So I have to marry you to break this curse?” you asked, dumbfounded.
Haku laughed softly, shaking his head.
“No, I don’t think it would go that far.” He paused before adding, “And I know you wouldn’t want that.”
Well, obviously.
You were still young. There was no way you wanted to tie yourself down in a marriage. There were still so many things you wanted to do. Maybe if your partner could support whatever path you chose, you would consider it.
But Haku?
You sneaked a glance at him, thinking for a moment. Would he be a good partner? You had never really considered it before.
Sensing your gaze, Haku looked at you.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why are you only telling me this now?” you asked.
He had had so many chances to tell you after transferring to Hotarubi, yet he kept it hidden, like a secret locked away in Pandora’s box.
It wasn’t like you were going to kill him after hearing it.
Maybe you’d be surprised. Or maybe angry.
“You didn’t seem to like me, so I thought it was best not to tell you,” he admitted with a boyish smile, startling you.
You thought you had hidden it well. You had always been serious and professional at work. You never let him know about your one-sided grudge, not even Subaru had noticed.
So how could Haku?
“When did I say I don’t like you?” you asked, a bit offended, almost arguing with him.
“Sorry. I just jumped to that conclusion,” he said.
One of his legs curled slightly as he rested his arm over it, tilting his head into his palm. He looked at you with a hint of mischief in his eyes.
“Does that mean you hate me less now?”
His teasing tone made you want to strangle him.
“I never hated you…” you murmured.
You had never truly hated him, maybe you had been jealous. But after getting to know him, you weren’t even sure what you were jealous of anymore.
“That’s good to hear,” he said, holding your gaze.
“I’ve tried really hard to make you like me more.”
Your face heated up at his words. You reached for your cup again to distract yourself, but Haku stopped you.
“I think that’s enough. You look pretty tipsy now,” he said gently, concern lacing his voice.
“I can still drink more,” you argued.
You knew you were stubborn. Most people couldn’t stand that about you. But you didn’t really care what others thought, you cared more about what you could achieve.
“Alright, but don’t blame me if you have a hangover tomorrow.”
You groaned in protest, he was right. You hated hangovers. So you pulled your hand back.
Seeing that you listened, Haku chuckled softly before standing up.
“Let’s go inside. You should get some rest.”
You nodded and stood up as well, thinking you were still mostly sober, just a little tipsy.
But the moment you stood too quickly, your vision blurred, your head grew heavy, and you nearly fell.
Haku caught you instantly.
“Careful, princess,” he said softly, his voice close to you.
You felt his warm breath against your skin, tinged with the sweetness of alcohol. You looked up at him, but his face blurred in your vision as you struggled to stay steady.
He helped you stand, but when you tried to straighten yourself and create distance.
You gave up.
Haku was almost holding you in his arms, his hands hovering uncertainly.
“You can lean on me. I’ll help you inside.”
You looked at him as he leaned down slightly, taking your hand and letting your arm rest over his shoulder.
And in that moment.
The light hit just right.
The cold breeze. The rain. The scattered petals.
And whatever surged in your chest, maybe it was adrenaline, not just your heartbeat.
The wind tousled his slightly long hair. His musubi earring glinted crimson under your gaze.
Under the influence of alcohol.
Looking at him stirred a strange sense of nostalgia, like remembering something you had never experienced.
As if you had known him for a long time.
And yet.
You knew nothing about him at all.
You didn’t know what pushed you to do it.
Was it the curse?
The red thread binding the two of you, tugging at something inside you, wrapping around your heart and his, pulling your heartbeats so close together that you couldn’t tell them apart anymore?
Haku was looking ahead, but he seemed to notice your lingering gaze. Before he could say anything.
Your arm, resting on his shoulder, slid upward. Your hand pressed against the back of his neck.
Your other hand grabbed the collar of his yukata, pulling him down, rougher than you intended.
You closed your eyes and your lips met his.
You felt his body stiffen, clearly stunned. His hands hovered around you, unsure where to go, as if his mind had completely shut down, even when you pulled away slightly.
It was just a soft kiss.
A brief one.
Barely more than your lips brushing against his for a second.
But long enough for the world to stop.
The sound of rain faded into the background. Even the cold air seemed to vanish, replaced by the warmth between you.
Your hand still clutched his collar as Haku looked down at you. Embarrassment flooded you as you realized what you had done. Your gaze dropped, and even the back of your neck burned.
“Princess… do you even know who I am right now?”
His voice sounded almost helpless, tinged with sadness, a hint of desperation, and something bitter beneath it.
As if your kiss had offended him somehow.
Maybe you shouldn’t have done that.
It was rude and so inappropriate.
You only wanted to understand why your heart kept racing whenever you were around him.
But maybe he didn’t like it.
And somehow. That made you feel offended too.
Your grip tightened on his collar as you shook him slightly, a rude and uncharacteristic action.
“Of course I know who you are!” you snapped, a little too loudly.
His eyes widened in surprise.
“You think I’d just kiss random people when I’m drunk?!”
You shook him again as his hands moved to your hips, trying to steady you.
Yes, you were drunk.
But strangely, when you were drunk, you felt even more honest than usual.
Maybe that was what alcohol did.
It forced the truth out of you.
Haku held you gently, trying to calm you down. He didn’t even dare to hold you too tightly, as if afraid of making things worse.
“You know I didn’t mean it like that, princess,” he said softly.
You looked up at him, your head aching slightly as your vision blurred and cleared again. You tried to read his expression, tried to understand how he truly felt.
Despite all his teasing, Haku had never crossed a line. He always kept a certain distance, never taking advantage of you.
Which made you wonder.
Was he just playing around?
Or was he serious?
“Didn’t the document say that to break the curse, the two people have to show enough affection and feelings for each other?” you asked, bringing up the file he had hidden earlier.
He thought you didn’t know.
But you always did your homework.
Maybe he underestimated you sometimes.
Haku sighed softly, looking at you.
“If that’s the only reason you kissed me…”
His voice brushed against your ear.
“Then I’d rather stay tied to you forever.”
Your gaze flickers on him for a moment, trying to read something out of his expression, anything at all, but the tipsiness makes you unable to focus your vision as it only blurs his face even more, and with the dim light, you can't make out anything.
"Haku." You suddenly call his name, and you feel his chest shiver slightly.
Did you calling his name have that much effect on him?
"Haku." You call again, softening your voice this time as his arms wrap around you more tightly, but he still doesn’t answer.
You become more impatient with each passing minute as you drape your arms over his shoulders. He reaches up slightly to prevent you from kissing him again.
"Then what's the reason you want me to kiss you for?" you ask aloud, as
Haku’s green-yellow eyes gaze at you so deeply that you wonder if he’s trying to analyze what’s going on inside your head.
But he doesn’t answer your question. Instead, he leans closer, his forehead pressing gently against yours. His hair tickles your skin softly as your arms cling to the fabric of his yukata.
"I want you to want me," he answers in a low whisper, his warm breath brushing against you.
"All the same as I want you," he adds.
You stay quiet for a moment as a heavy silence drapes over the two of you. Haku’s hands loosen around your waist, and he takes your silence as disapproval. He slowly pulls away, giving you enough space.
"Let’s get to bed," he says casually, as if you two hadn’t just been so close a moment ago.
He leads you inside and tucks you into your futon, making sure you’re lying down comfortably. Then he returns to his side, behind the thin curtain that separates you.
⊹﹒⊹﹒⊹
But you couldn't sleep. You thought maybe the alcohol, the tipsiness, would make you pass out immediately, but no, you just felt more wide awake, your heartbeat so loud it annoyed you, and your face still felt burned up.
You both lay there in a long moment of darkness. The rain still fell heavily outside.
"Haku," you called his name so quietly, unsure whether he was asleep or still awake.
He didn't answer at first. You thought he must have been asleep then, and as you were about to turn away, the other side made some noise.
"Yes," his voice was so low you almost didn’t recognize it.
You stared at the thin curtain between you and him as you spoke up.
"I'm sorry..."
And for a moment, he just let out a laugh, a bit bitter and silly, as he asked,
"What're you sorry for? I'm not mad."
He spoke so casually that it made you feel even worse, made you feel even more guilty as you spoke up once again.
"No, I'm sorry. That was very inappropriate of me." You felt more sober now as you regretted what you did earlier.
And maybe even through this thin veil, it gave you more courage to talk to him again.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," you continued.
And the other side remained quiet again. He then let out such a heavy sigh you doubted you had ever heard Haku sigh that heavily as his hand slipped through the thin layer of the curtain.
"Promise me you won't drink with anyone else, then I will consider your apology."
You looked at the large hand sticking through the fabric as he held his pinky out, waiting for you to do the same. So you did, stuck out your pinky as you made a promise with him.
But only to fool him, because you kept count of how many times Haku had teased you, and you did not plan to let any of that slide away so easily. So when he was about to pull his hand away, you grabbed his hand tightly with yours.
He seemed to stiffen at your action, but you didn’t give him time to question anything.
"I want to hold your hand like this."
And you didn't know if it was your imagination, but the warm palm of his large hand seemed to become more sweaty as he just let his hand stay like that. Now that you knew he had a soft spot for you, you didn’t really find the need to be so nervous and cautious around him anymore.
You fidgeted with his fingers and hand a bit, seeing the red thread illuminate, tangled between Haku’s wrist and yours as it seemed to glow more in the dark.
And your fidgeting might have been too much, as his hand caught your mischievous one.
"That's enough. You should get some sleep," and he pulled his hand away again.
You were left with that empty feeling once again. And even when you couldn’t see Haku, you could tell that he was unable to sleep just like you.
So after another moment of silence, you called out his name one last time.
And as always, he answered your call, as if you constantly disturbing his sleep didn’t bother him at all.
"If I say... I want to kiss you again, would you allow me?" You finally managed to ask that question.
You didn’t hear his answer, but you could hear his breath hitch slightly at your question, before you heard some rustling from his side as he lifted the curtain, breaking the thin barrier between you and him.
You sat up slightly from your futon as you looked at Haku, but because of the darkness of the room, you could barely see anything, let alone his expression.
"Don't say stuff like that."
His tone was darker now, and it scared you a bit. But knowing Haku, you knew he wouldn’t do anything you didn’t want.
So you loosened your grip on the fabric of your blanket as you flipped it open. Getting out from under the covers, you made your way toward him, almost tripping in the dark but Haku somehow managed to catch you, making him fall onto the futon behind him.
"That's dangerous, princess."
The fall didn’t cause any damage as you both landed on the soft cotton futon. You could smell the scent of shower gel on him. It was the same one you used, but somehow, it seemed to smell way better on him.
You didn’t move away as your arms wrapped around him, hugging him tightly.
Haku couldn’t do anything but go along with your antics. His hand lifted to pat your head gently, almost making you melt under his touch. You nuzzled your face against the crook of his neck as you felt his warmth radiating around you once again.
"I'm not good at being honest... unlike you," you explained, as Haku didn’t stop smoothing your hair while he listened closely, letting you finish what you had to say.
"So I tend to use actions to replace that..." you continued as you buried your face against him. "I'm not trying to make an excuse for myself."
"...But if you’ve been that patient with me, can you be more patient with me now?"
You knew it was unfair to ask him that, when he had done his best not to cross any lines between you two, when he had never once closed the distance, even when you were drunk, never taking advantage of you. And now you were asking him to yield to you, taking advantage of the fact that he had a soft spot for you. Sometimes you wondered, was he sly, or were you the sly one now?
He didn’t answer at all, but the motion of his hand stopped as he slowly sat up, making you shift with him.
"How patient are you asking me to be?" he asked, but it didn’t sound like a question, as if he was holding something back, his voice seems darker now.
"Days? Weeks? Months?"
It was the first time you had ever heard Haku speak like that, not with his usual casual tone, but with a bluntness that was almost threatening.
"Because I don’t think I can promise that." He answered his own question as his arms wrapped tightly around you, pulling you deeply into his embrace.
You could feel his warm breath and even his heartbeat as he nuzzled his head against your shoulder. It showed how frustrated and impatient he was, but at the same time, it felt like he was trying to calm himself down.
You felt like you were being caged in the mouth of a giant snake as it bared its fangs at you, his embrace so tight, as if he wanted to carve you into him, as if with one more bit of strength he could break all your bones. You couldn’t even move and could barely breathe.
But soon, he let you go, as if one more moment of holding you might make him do something further than that. But you didn’t move away. Instead, you lay down on his futon and patted the space next to you.
"Can I at least stay here?"
Your request was like a death sentence to him, but since he couldn’t say no to you, he moved to lie down next to you without any complaint. But before he could, you pulled him by his collar again, his arms braced on either side of your head, preventing himself from collapsing onto you.
You were being extremely disobedient and mischievous tonight. He should not let you near a single drop of alcohol ever again.
"So... do I get permission?" you asked, reminding him why you were even here.
He didn’t answer you at all. Instead, he leaned down and kissed you, pressing his lips against yours, his hand holding your face in place as he kissed you like a starved man.
You could hear his rough breathing around you, feel how hot his skin was as he tilted his face just right to have better access to your lips, making you part them as his tongue slid between them and met yours. You tried to follow his movements, almost melting under how hungrily he kissed you.
You should have known better, how scary and starving a beast could be. But you had already expected that, and you weren’t afraid of Haku. So you draped your arms over his shoulders, pulling him down, deepening the kiss, trying to follow his rhythm, but failing miserably.
In the dark room, with heavy rain outside the window, the only sound left echoing was your embarrassed kisses and your pants when he finally pulled away.
Your hand tangled into his hair at the back of his neck, possibly tickling him a bit. His breath lingered against your skin as he rubbed his nose gently against yours, so gently you could barely feel it if not for his hot breath fanning over your skin.
Even in this darkness, even when you couldn’t see his face, his eyes somehow seemed to glow brightly. You almost felt like you were imagining things, or maybe the alcohol was still messing with your head. But that wasn’t what you cared about most right now.
How Haku’s arms wrapped around you, holding you close, you felt like a giant snake had coiled around you, twisting and binding you, suffocating your breath, breaking your bones.
You wanted to break free from his tight embrace, but you were afraid he might pull away again if you did, so you just stayed still, hearing your breaths mingle in the air, blurring out the heavy rain outside.
You heard his quiet voice as he shifted slightly, lying next to you on the soft futon, pulling you into his chest. Tugging the blanket over you so carefully, you almost felt too comfortable and drifted to sleep immediately.
This was the first time you had shared a bed with someone this close, you could hear his heartbeat, feel his chest rise and fall against you. His hand gently patted your head as his fingers threaded through your hair so softly.
“Go to sleep, princess.”
And he finally spoke in the most tender voice you had ever heard from him.
And maybe you were indeed tired. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was his warmth. You didn’t know. But the glowing light from the crimson thread seemed to illuminate brighter between you two as your eyelids grew heavy and you slowly fell asleep, right in his arms.
⊹﹒⊹﹒⊹
When sunlight pours from the window into the room, you feel yourself stir in your sleep, but something seems to block you from moving. You slowly open your eyes, a bit dizzy and groggy, your head throbbing slightly.
As your vision adjusts, Haku’s face seems to zoom into your space.
You freeze for a moment, trying to process it. Carefully sitting up, you try to recall what happened yesterday and how you ended up on his side. Shouldn’t you be sleeping in your own futon right now?
And when those memories slowly flood back into your mind, you feel heat creep up from the back of your neck to your face, making you want to strangle yourself.
What have you done?!
Why did you do that?
You want to yell that at your past self as you shift your gaze slightly to the man still sleeping soundly beside you. Sunlight dances softly across the room, scattering over the side of his face. His long, soft strands of hair fall across his features, his eyelashes still as he sleeps. He looks peaceful, his expression softened in rest.
You wonder if you should wake him up, but knowing Haku, he always seems sleepy. Based on the amount of work he handles every day around Hotarubi, on campus, and outside Darkwick, you doubt he even has a proper sleeping schedule, let alone enough rest. He also seems to enjoy taking quick naps whenever he can, so maybe that’s just how he manages.
Since you both have a day off today, you don’t want to disturb his quiet sleep. Maybe you should let him rest a bit longer. It must be early anyway, since you always wake up early.
So you carefully try to move away from him, slipping out of the blanket as you look for your phone.
But before you can move any farther, a pair of arms wraps tightly around your waist, making you turn back in panic.
“G’morning, princess,” he murmurs in a sleepy voice, and you wonder when he even woke up.
Feeling his grip on you while you’re sober is really not something you ever imagined. You feel awkward and nervous, unsure what to say or how to face him, especially after what happened last night.
“Good morning…” you reply quietly, your face heating up.
“No good morning kiss for me, then?” he teases you this early in the morning, making you want to whack him.
But when he nuzzles against you like a lazy, oversized cat, you can’t bring yourself to do it. He looks so relaxed and comfortable, and it stirs something in your chest. And he didn’t push you away yesterday… it makes you feel a little guilty.
You don’t answer him. Instead, you gently pat his hair. He lets out a small laugh before lifting his face, your eyes meeting his sleepy gaze as he beams a bright smile.
“Nice to see such beauty first thing in the morning.”
“If you’re awake, then sit up properly.”
You ignore his flirting and pat his back lightly.
He sits up, the collar of his yukata loosening slightly as he yawns and stretches. His hair is a complete mess, sticking out in different directions. He notices your gaze.
“Is there something on my face?” he asks as you quickly look away.
“Nothing,” you mumble, unable to meet his eyes.
How is he acting so casual while you’re here ready to combust? Did last night not affect him that much, or is he just that good at pretending nothing happened?
Before your thoughts can wander further, Haku’s face suddenly leans close into your view, making you instinctively lean back.
“W-what?”
He leans in so close your heart nearly jumps out of your chest.
“Nothing,” he mimics your earlier tone, clearly mocking you.
You push him lightly by the shoulder, wanting to grab him and shake that dumb smile off his face. But he doesn’t mind your antics at all. He just laughs, catching your hand and gently lifting it to press small kisses against the back of it.
Your face burns even more as his soft lips brush your skin, reminding you of how heated everything felt last night.
Despite your embarrassment, you still bring up a serious conversation, because of who you are and how you were raised. You want to take responsibility for what happened.
Haku listens… and then bursts out laughing, his whole body shaking so much you almost punch him.
But then he softens, speaking gently.
“Then I’d be in your care from now on, princess.”
And just like that, you officially become a couple.
Subaru seems surprised by the news, though not entirely, as if he had always expected it.
And the thread between you disappears.
The curse is broken, undone by the honest feelings you finally shared with each other.
⊹﹒⊹﹒⊹
Although you two have been going out now, you find that not many things have changed. You’re still around to help him and Subaru. He still slacks off sometimes or goes on solo missions. When he has free time, he’d take a quick nap and disappear somewhere too.
What’s different is that now, in his routine, he adds more time to annoy you, bother you, tease you, and flirt with you. Yeah, if he’s free, he’d be around you all the time.
You wouldn’t call him clingy, but he always lingers wherever you are when he has nothing to do.
Like those cats on campus that rub around people’s legs for attention, Haku is just the same. He likes having your presence around him, as if it eases him down a bit, and he likes that you pay attention to him. Even when most of the time he’s just napping while you’re doing your own thing, he simply enjoys the atmosphere.
Though finding him during lunch break is difficult, because he literally finds any place in Hotarubi or on campus, to be nap-worthy.
As you walk around the corridor to find him, you’re unable to locate him anywhere at all. Even when you're usually very quick on spotting him.
Where the hell is he?!
You text him too, but he seems busy this whole morning, so you don’t want to bother him that much.
As you walk down the hall, you bump into Saburo.
“Oh, doll, where are you going, my dear?”
The familiar voice travels to your ears as you look up.
“Zenji,” you greet him quietly as you look around, making sure no one is there. “Do you happen to know where Haku is?”
You ask the man in front of you as his lips curve up deeply. Let’s just say, besides some of the other students who congratulated you and Haku for becoming a couple, Zenji must be the happiest person to hear that, he even broke into tears.
You wonder how long he has known, because it makes you feel a bit embarrassed.
His eyes shimmer behind the lenses of his glasses as if he knows you so well.
“Further down this hall, at the left corridor,” he answers as he seems to float even higher every time he’s in a good mood. “He likes it there because the cats always nap around the area,” the man adds before floating away.
“I won’t bother you anymore, dear. I have to visit my adorable brother now.”
You give him a small wave as he leaves with Saburo, humming a soft melody that blends so well with the sound of the rain.
And you, following his guidance, walk further down the hall until you reach a corridor. Taking the left turn, you slow your pace a bit, knowing he’s near now.
The rain falls softly against the roofs, fresh air breezing through with gentle winds as you continue to walk forward, your eyes drifting toward the garden as your mind wanders elsewhere.
More specifically, it drifts back to when you first saw him at the Shinto shrine.
It was just a very brief moment, but you wonder why it burned so vividly in your mind, you still remember that day so clearly. You wonder if that’s also how Haku felt about the first time he saw you, since he seems to remember it so well too.
But your face still heats up a bit when you recall how he saw you in such a rushed state, running down the stairs and dropping your thing without even noticing.
You rarely lose composure in front of anyone, and Haku just happens to have seen all the sides of you you never wanted anyone to see.
But before your mind can wander further, you stumble slightly as your foot catches on something, almost falling over as you gasp and look down, only to see a familiar figure lying on the engawa.
Haku, in the middle of his usual nap. Beside him, in his arm, lies a chunky cat loafing peacefully next to him.
You slowly sit down as you look at the two of them. They must both be used to lazing around, because how the hell did they not notice you coming close?
The sound of rain blends with his steady breathing. Haku always looks so peaceful when he sleeps, even if it’s just a nap. He once said he could rarely get deep sleep, that even the smallest sound could wake him, but recently, he seems to be sleeping better.
You watch how his chest rises and falls, matching the rhythm of the chunky cat beside him.
…That is… kinda adorable, you have to admit.
You almost have to clutch your chest to stop your heart from jumping out as you quietly take out your phone. You just want to snap a quick picture.
Ever since you two started dating, you’ve found yourself taking pictures of him. You’re not sure why, you’ve never done that before. Usually, the most you’d take are photos of the Hotarubi garden or some cats around campus.
But Haku always has that soft, silly, boyish edge when he’s around you, and you can’t help but want to capture those moments. At this point, your camera roll is probably full of his pictures, with you and Subaru included.
As you admire the photo you’ve taken, the cat beside him suddenly yawns and stretches its chubby body. It wakes up and looks at you.
“Hello there,” you greet softly.
The cat meows back, as if answering you.
And just when you think it will go back to sleep, it suddenly moves toward you and settles itself on your lap. You almost scream, this is a sacred moment.
Let’s just say, most cats on campus don’t let you touch them, so most of the time you can only admire them from afar. Haku, on the other hand, animals always seem to cling to him.
You used to wonder if it was because of his spiritual energy attracting them, and ever since you started working with him, you’ve secretly been a bit jealous of that.
Because how the hell is he so effortlessly better than you at everything?
But that thought fades the longer you work with him, because Haku isn’t effortless at all, he works harder than most people you know. He just never shows it or talks about it. Subaru falls into that same category too. You wonder what goes on in their minds for them to disregard their own hard work like that.
As you drift in your thoughts, the cat on your lap purrs and meows, drawing your attention back to it, as if asking for pats.
And you oblige. Who wouldn’t?
You hesitate at first, you know how cats are. You have to let them give you permission, or they’ll just walk away and never let you touch them again.
So you gently place your hand on its soft, fluffy fur. It purrs in approval, encouraging you to pet it more. And so you do, stroking its fur, its head, gently as it relaxes comfortably in your lap.
“Am I getting some pats too?”
The voice makes you jump in startlement as the cat lets out a loud, disapproving meow at Haku suddenly scaring you like that.
“H-Haku,” you call his name as the man lies lazily on the floor. “When did you wake up?”
The same smirk rests softly on his lips as his eyes are now open, still sharp like a cat’s as they seem to glow under the soft light.
“Just now.” He answers, still a bit sleepy, as you see the haze in his eyes when he slowly sits up. “I could get used to waking up seeing such an angel.”
Ugh, he’s so shameless.
You don’t stop patting the cat as you look at Haku. He rubs his eyes softly as he lets out a yawn, and at the same time, the cat in your lap yawns too, creating such a synchronized picture that you can’t help but let out a small laugh.
“What’s so funny, princess?” he asks with a soft smile when he leans closer to you with raised eyebrows.
“Nothing,” you answer him quietly as you ask, “Did I wake you up?”
He shakes his head slightly. “I only planned for a quick nap. You came just in time.”
He doesn’t even question how you found him, as if he knows you’d be able to find him regardless. After all, all the time he lounges around campus, you always somehow manage to find every single hideout spot he has for himself, even when Zenji doesn’t tell you where he is and even when you have no hint at all.
And he’s the same when it comes to finding you. It makes him wonder sometimes whether the two of you are truly bound by some kind of destiny string to find one another. And he finds the idea thrilling.
The rain falls softly against the rooftop as your eyes flicker toward him. How does he always manage to make you nervous even when you two have been going out for a while now? And he really doesn’t know what personal space is.
Because one thing you’ve learned when dating Haku is that he’s very unhinged. He’d pop up out of nowhere, steal one or two kisses from you, flirt with you a bit, tease you even more, then return to his tasks after he’s done annoying you and making your heart fluster. That’s something you both hate and love about him.
You look at him as the cat continues to purr in your arms.
“What?”
You ask when he has no intention of giving you any personal space, but you’re so used to it at this point that you don’t bother pushing him away anymore.
“You’re looking for me, aren’t you?” he asks, but doesn’t even let you answer. “But all your attention is on that Tama.”
“Tama?” you ask, a bit confused, as his gaze shifts to the fat cat on your lap.
“His name is Tama,” he answers softly as you continue to pat and rub the cat’s ears.
“You named him?” you ask, and Haku shakes his head slightly.
“Some spirits call him that. I just copied them.” He sticks his tongue out mischievously when he answers you.
You wonder how he always seems to attract every creature to him, cats, dogs, bugs, birds, bunnies, even spirits. They all seem to linger and wander around him for some reason. Unlike you, most creatures would run away, as your energy seems to radiate in a way that irritates them.
And Haku might have noticed your down mood, as he shifts closer, leaning in to kiss you softly on the lips, distracting you and pulling you away from your thoughts.
Your face burns up immediately as you almost yell at him.
“Haku!”
He only laughs out loud, his chest rumbling as the sound echoes warmly in the cold air, almost making the raindrops seem to jingle. And maybe the noise you two make is too much, because the cat in your lap gets annoyed.
It sits up, then jumps away and dashes away from the hallway. You gasp as you watch it disappear into a small dot at the corner.
“You made him run away!”
When you finally manage to get a cat to come near you, this man makes all your effort go to waste!
Well… to be fair, you think the cat stayed with you because of Haku, maybe his scent or energy lingered on you in some way that made it feel comfortable enough to stay.
“Sorry, princess.” He apologizes, but you hear no sincerity in his tone as you frown. “I’ll make it up to you.”
Before you can even ask how, he suddenly lays his head right onto your lap as if it’s his rightful place, like the cat earlier had invaded his territory.
You don’t even get the chance to stop him as he looks at you with that laid-back smile.
“I’m gonna replace Tama so you won’t be lonely, yeah?”
He nuzzles his face against you softly, and even through the fabric of your uniform, it still tickles you somehow.
“So you can pat me and rub my hair like you did to Tama,” he says, sounding like a child wheedling for a toy or a snack, making you almost laugh.
But you only hesitate for a moment before lifting your hand to pat his head gently, threading your fingers through the soft strands of his hair. You can almost feel how Haku melts, relaxing completely under your touch. You stroke his hair so gently, as if afraid even your fingertips might hurt him.
He seems to enjoy your touch against his scalp, and you feel like if he were a cat, he’d definitely be purring right now.
He closes his eyes to enjoy the sensation, like a lazy cat on your lap, but then his sharp eyes open once again and he’s just staring at your face, making you feel a bit exposed.
“Stop staring at me.” You almost have to cover his eyes as he doesn’t stop at all.
“How could I, when my girlfriend looks like an angel?” He speaks so bluntly, shameless and flirtatious, that you almost want to flick him off your lap.
But you don’t, as your fingers travel slightly to his earlobe, feeling the ribbon of his earrings as it reminds you of that red string that bound you two together before.
You wonder why he wears these earrings everywhere, even in his sleep. He only occasionally takes them off, maybe when he bathes or sometimes when you sleep over.
Feeling you fidget with his earring tickles his ear a bit, and he lets out a small laugh again.
“Do you like them?”
His question is so random and sudden that you don’t know how to answer. You’ve never really thought about it, but these crimson earrings seem to fit Haku so well, like they were made for him, those significant details in his life that add to his mysterious aura, not just some normal decorative accessories.
“They suit you,” you answer, though it’s not quite enough.
Because you like everything about him, no matter what it is.
And your answer earns another laugh from him, as he looks like his face could bloom flowers at any moment.
“So you like them?” he asks as he catches your hand and slides it to his face, pressing your palm against the side of his cheek as he places a soft kiss against your skin.
The warm, gentle contact feels like an electric shock. You want to pull your hand away, but he doesn’t let you. His grip tightens, making it clear he won’t let go until you answer him.
“…Yes, I like them.” You finally admit, embarrassed, not wanting him to see your face right now.
But suddenly, Haku sits back up and looks at you, still with that laid-back smile, though something more serious now lingers beneath his expression.
“Do you want a pair?” he asks, another random, out-of-nowhere question.
“Why? Do they have some meaning?” you ask back, feeling like he’s luring you into some kind of trap.
His earrings seem inspired by a mizuhiki knot, and you know those always symbolize connection and protection, so what other meaning could they hold for him to ask you that?
“Yeah, they do,” he nods slightly as he answers you. “Only the wife can touch her husband’s earrings.”
You flinch at his words, your eyes widening. Looking at him, you think he must be joking again just to mess with you, so you shove his face away softly as he’s way too close to your personal space.
“Stop joking around. If you’re that awake, we should-”
He doesn’t even let you finish your sentence. His large hand catches your wrist gently, sliding up to hold your hand in his palm as he looks at you.
“I’m not joking, though.” Seriousness laces his tone as you feel his hand tighten slightly around yours.
“In the Kusanagi clan, only those who have completed their rite of passage and coming of age ceremony can wear these.”
His voice is low and slow, blending with the rain outside in the garden.
You listen closely as he continues.
“I got my pair after completing my rite and ceremony,” he says so quietly you almost miss it.
“Only our spouses are allowed to touch them besides us,” he emphasizes, and you feel your face burn even hotter.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?! I wouldn’t-”
You try to explain, stumbling over your words, almost biting your tongue. You don’t want to come off as offending him or crossing a line or disrespecting his family’s traditions.
“I want you to, though.”
But he cuts through your words once again, as if he’s trying so hard to make your brain malfunction and your heart jump out of your chest.
His lips curve a bit deeper as he looks at you, all confused and flustered in front of him.
“You can touch these as much as you like. I have no complaints,” he continues as he holds your hand, sliding it up to the side of his face, letting your palm spread and rest against his skin as he even lets your fingertips graze his earring softly.
“So… do you want a pair, princess?” he asks again, very serious this time, and you can see the anticipation in his eyes.
You wonder what meaning it holds for him to want to give you one so badly. He’s so persistent, and his eyes sharpen, narrowing slightly with a darker tint behind them.
“They’re beautiful… but I don’t think I deserve them,” you answer honestly, because didn’t he say there needed to be a rite to receive one?
What if you’re not worthy of them? You don’t feel right accepting something that doesn’t belong to you in the first place.
“I’ll give you a pair,” he says in a lower voice, laced with a bit of mischief as your gaze flickers to his face.
“Is it something you can just give to anyone like that?” you ask to make sure, and he shakes his head with a chuckle.
Taking your other hand in his, he clasps both of your hands against his face so gently as he beams a soft smile, looking straight into your eyes.
“You’re not just anyone. You’re my partner.”
His words make your heart skip several beats, and you almost want to slap him because of how much they affect you.
“Besides, we’re allowed to give one to our spouse,” he adds, making you even more confused.
Raising your eyebrows, you ask him, “But I’m not your spouse...”
He just smirks as he looks at you, as if you’ve just answered your own question, princess.
And after a minute of processing what he means, your brain completely fries as you gasp out incoherent words, your face so hot you feel like running out into the rain to cool down.
“So what do you say? Do you want a pair?” he repeats his question, looking at you with that bright anticipation in his sharp eyes.
“I… I’ll think about it…” you answer, and he smiles again.
Because even though you haven’t said yes, that answer is enough to satisfy him, for now.
“Mm, okay. I’ll keep that in mind,” he says, almost like a promise, as he presses his forehead against yours. Rubbing his nose gently against you, you feel his warm breath against your skin.
And you can’t help but lean in, pressing your lips softly against his. He almost sighs in satisfaction as you feel him cup your face with his hands, so gentle and careful as he kisses you back with a softness like falling wisteria petals.
Pairing: Elias Pratt x F!Reader (tbh I don’t even use any refer or pronoun here, just be whoever you want to be).
Tags: Manipulative/Red Flag Elias Pratt, Emotional Power Imbalance, Heated Kissing, Smoking.
Warning: Non-consensual kiss!!! And you kinda slap him.
If it’s not your thing, CLICK BACK or SCROLL AWAY.
Masterlist
Can’t stop thinking about Elias and you with some kind of rivals-to-lovers dynamic, iykyk. This event happened before Dionysia got deserted, approximately a year before everything went down. You were a third-year like Elias and a vice-captain at the time. You aimed to be Captain, but Elias had already been nominated for the position.
Saying you weren’t jealous would be a lie. He always had that laid-back attitude that made you doubt he’d be able to handle the role.
Like, he has such a punchable face with that smug smirk always plastered on it. But also such kissable lips. There’s a reason he’s the visual of the show, right?
Yeah, right. Though there are a lot of things you don’t like about Elias. For example, he always disappears when you need to exchange work with him, even when he’s the Captain. Where the hell is he?? And you’re stuck here with a pile of work while he wanders off somewhere you’ll never know. Every time you ask him or nag him about it, he just laughs, makes excuses, and shrugs like nothing happened. And that drives you insane. Is there ever a moment when he’s serious?
Yes. Yes, there is, especially on missions. He’s always very serious then. He always makes a plan and has a backup plan ready. His brain works far too quickly for you to comprehend sometimes, and he always knows what to do even in the tightest spots. He’s very tactical and meticulous with most things, so maybe his laid-back attitude is just to keep people from depending on him too much, considering what he’s capable of.
Now, let’s talk about another thing you hate about him.
He smokes. Like, a lot.
You nag him all the time to go somewhere else because he keeps smoking in the tent. It’s a fire hazard, and nobody wants that to happen. And most people don’t want the space to reek of tangy smoke either, so you always push him outside whenever he lights up.
You wonder if he has some kind of addiction because he seems unable to hold back the craving every time. So at some point, you stop nagging him. But for some reason, he starts being obedient and no longer smokes in the tent after you stop.
At first, he’d argue with you, saying something like Shion has a whole fire-breathing performance in the tent and everywhere else, so why can’t he have a little smoke?
Well… Shion is a different case. You can’t tell him what to do. You can’t control his actions. Even Elias can’t tell him what to do, so how would you be capable of that? Though Mio can talk some sense into him, even though he’s still a first-year, he’s far too reliable in many things.
⬪⬪⬪⬪⬪
So one night after the show, you’re outside the tent getting some fresh air when Elias pops out of nowhere and almost jump-scares you. He’s always like that, disappearing and reappearing out of nowhere. He’s nowhere to be seen when you need him, but always everywhere when he finds a chance to annoy you.
You ignore him as he stands beside you and flicks his cigarette packet open from his pocket. You notice he didn’t bring his lighter.
“Don’t smoke in my space.”
You try to chase him away. “I spotted this place first.”
He just chuckles as he pulls out a stick from the packet.
“I’m quitting. This isn’t a cigarette,” he says, showing you the packet.
It’s just a bunch of small lollipops. Your eyes almost pop out as you stare at him in disbelief.
“What? Is it that hard to believe I’d quit smoking?”
You raise your eyebrows at his question.
“For every ten things you say, I doubt three and don’t believe the rest,” you answer, unamused.
He chuckles again.
“Oh, that hurts. You’ve shattered my pride.”
You change the subject.
“So, what are you going to do about the ‘kids’?”
You’re both third-years now, which means next year you’ll be on internship. It’s time to pass the buckle to someone else. In the meantime, you have to train them and teach them what to do.
Elias stays quiet for a moment, seeming deep in thought. He’s usually quiet, but never this intensely silent. You wait for his answer.
“What about you?” he asks instead.
“Me? I already know who would be perfect to handle things here when I’m gone,” you answer proudly.
There’s a certain pink-haired boy you’ve already been guiding and teaching about vice-captain duties. There’s nothing for you to worry about either way.
You know Elias definitely has someone in mind already. He just doesn’t tend to share much of what’s on his mind.
That’s another thing you don’t like about him.
He rarely speaks the truth. He lies a lot and hides even more. Yes, you understand he has the right to keep certain things to himself, but it makes you feel disregarded, looked down on, in some way.
Aren’t you his partner? Aren’t you reliable enough as a vice-captain? Is that why he hides almost everything from you?
You stay quiet, not asking any further questions. You just let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.”
You want to say you trust his judgment in choosing the next captain, but at the same time, you don’t. Because you feel like he hasn’t convinced you enough yet.
Elias is someone who always keeps everything to himself.
You wonder if he’s going to choose Haru or Jo as the next captain.
⬪⬪⬪⬪⬪
Your gaze peeked at him from the corner of your eyes as you tried to read something on his face, but he looked indifferent. Though the dark circles under his eyes were so visible, you wondered what had kept him from sleeping for so long to form those kinds of dark bags. It wasn’t rare to see Elias not getting enough sleep; he always looked tired for some reason. And when he smoked, the ribbon of greyish smoke flickering in the air always seemed to create a veil draped over the two of you, like you belonged to completely different worlds, like it was there to keep you away from him.
And the cigarette always hovered on his lip when he smoked. Sometimes he’d drop it to the corner as he spoke to you. Did you mention he has such kissable lips but such a punchable smirk?
Yeah, you want to strangle him and kiss him at the same time every time you see him smoke. Because he leaves ashes everywhere and litters his cigarette butts everywhere too. Such a hassle for others to clean. But at the same time, there is always some sense of loneliness whenever you see him standing there, eyes half-lidded, leaning against the wall to smoke quietly, as if it’s the only moment he can meet his peace of mind. Like smoking is the only time he allows himself to breathe.
And when he lifts his gaze slightly to meet yours, that gray, misty veil of smoke between you feels distorted. It blurs your sight of him, blurs his face from your vision, blurs the world between you two. But it also feels like the world narrows down to just him.
You see him twist the wrapper off the lollipop in his hand before popping it into his mouth.
And the words slip from your lips before you can think.
“Does smoking taste that good?”
Even you’re caught off guard by your own question.
And his eyes glimmering slightly under the faint moonlight above your head as he slowly moves the shiny ruby-red lollipop away from his lips, creating a glistening thin layer over his soft skin.
“You’re curious?”
Of course he answers with another question.
He’s always like that, never answering you directly. Turn things back on you. Makes you feel like you’re the one exposed.
That’s also what you hate about him, always playing with your mind as you can’t understand why you can’t understand him. You can’t read him. You don’t know what he’s thinking most of the time. Three years of knowing him, and you still feel like he’s just a mist, an illusion by your side.
You did try to get to know him better at first, but he seemed to think the distance between you two was perfectly balanced. He never crossed that line, nor did he ever let you cross it. So you didn’t dare to.
“No. You just seem addicted to them. That’s why I asked.”
You answer, unamused by how he never gives you the answer you want to know. You lose all interest in the conversation with him, so you stop talking and pull out your phone.
And sensing that you’re ignoring him might have tingled something in him, because you can feel him turn slightly to your side and casually call your name.
“What?” You lift your head up from your phone as you also turn your face his way slightly, to see what he has to say.
But to your surprise, he suddenly leans down closer to you. It catches you off guard, and your body doesn’t react in time as his lips immediately meet yours.
Your eyes widen as your phone slips from your hand and falls right to the ground under your feet.
By the time you react, lifting your hands to push him away, his large hand reaches behind your head as he keeps you in place. You can feel his lips on you. Yeah, it was soft, just like how you had imagined it.
“Stop! Elias-”
When you speak up, trying to push him away, you create an opportunity for his tongue to slide right between your parted lips. It is wet and hot as it meets yours. Your eyebrows frown as you taste the bitterness on the tip of his tongue. It’s not pleasant at all because you don’t like bitter tastes. But at the same time, you can taste some tang of sweetness too.
It creates such a contradiction that you almost can’t think. Your mind fogs up a bit as you still can’t comprehend what is happening, making Elias able to take the lead as he continues to kiss you.
His tongue invades your mouth, meeting and intertwining with yours, as if he wants to savor every taste of you. You find it suffocating, hard to breathe, as you stumble back slightly, but his arm wraps around you, pulling you closer to him.
The small lollipop he had earlier falls to the ground, now sadly coated in dirt, its ruby red surface shimmering faintly under the moonlight.
And even when Elias has leaned down, tilting his face at the right angle to kiss you better, the back of your neck still hurts from bending up to accept his kiss. He gives you no time to fight back against him, as if he has wanted to do it long ago, far too long. He kisses you like a starved man. It feels like he’s been holding this back, for weeks, months, maybe years. Like this is something he decided long ago.
Your hands push against his chest as he seems unfazed by your actions, just pulling you even closer into his kiss, until he feels like you’re unable to breathe anymore. Only then does he pull away slightly. His face is still close to yours, his tongue slipping back into his mouth as you finally are able to see his eyes so close to you.
His pupils were dilated and seemed blurry, as if he hadn't gotten enough of what he had just tasted. You were stunned for only a moment before you shoved him away harshly, and before you could think, your body already moved first as you lifted your hand and slapped him hard across his face.
It left your palm stinging more than his cheek, you supposed, but you threw that slap with all your might as, slowly, the red mark it formed on his pale skin appeared and his face turned slightly to the side. You were even able to scratch the corner of his lip because of your nail. You stood there, a bit out of breath. You didn't know if your body was shaking because of anger or any other reason.
You felt bad right after you slapped him that hard, but only for a brief second, because you immediately snapped back. Why the hell couldn't you slap him? He deserved that shit.
Looking at his face, still with that unfazed look, he didn't seem to mind your slap at all. If anything, it just made whatever the hell was going on in his mind grow crazier, as you saw the corner of his lip curve up. The reddened scratch just seemed to open wider with his smile.
You quickly wiped your lip with the back of your hand as if you had just touched something so disgusting.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" you asked furiously as you looked at him in panic and confusion.
He flicked his tongue out, dragging it across his lip slightly as if he were savoring whatever taste was left there, and with the same laid-back attitude and that smirk, he answered you.
"Isn't everybody here having something wrong going on?" He stood tall, looming over you a bit as he leaned down slightly so his eyes could meet yours better. "That's why we're the freaks."
"Freak doesn't mean you kiss someone without their permission, asshole.”
You grunted the words out as his attitude just made you want to slap him again. The sound of your palm coming into contact with his face seemed to still echo in the air around you as you glanced at him, displaying your anger and disapproval clearly, even when he clearly didn't care.
"Isn't that what you always have in your mind?”
He suddenly asked again, as his flow of thought wasn't something you could keep up with. As if you standing in front of him didn't freak out, he just acted like it was a normal, casual conversation, as if he hadn't just kissed you out of nowhere a moment ago.
"What are you on about?" And that pissed you off even more, but before you could say anything else, he suddenly stepped closer, and you instinctively backed away from him as your hands clasped over your mouth.
He let out a laugh, amusement and mockery lacing together.
"Your eyes can't deceive others," he emphasized as you kept your distance from him.
Afraid he might do something out of impulsiveness again.
"You want to know how a cigarette tastes, or..." He paused for a minute too long before continuing his words. "How it tastes on my lip?”
You could feel heat creeping up all over your face, unsure if it was anger or embarrassment that boiled inside you as you argued back.
"That doesn't justify your action-"
But he cut through your words before you could continue.
"So you admit that you want to kiss me?"
Question after question, it drove you insane with how talking to him felt like trying to solve a riddle that had no answer.
You found it meaningless trying to argue with him. Normally, when his attitude made you tired and exhausted, you'd just walk away from him. But now, this kind of thing was serious, and you didn't want to walk away, because maybe because of your giving-in attitude, it made him more steamrolling in his actions and behavior.
And because he never really listened to you, you found no reason to constantly tell him anything anymore.
"So what if I did?" you spoke up once again. "I don't go around jumping on you, asshole."
You rarely used any vulgar words, but Elias really knew how to get on your nerves and draw out that side of you.
He just chuckled slightly, the sound rumbling in his chest then echoing in the space around the two of you, as your words didn't seem to affect him.
"That's why I like you," his voice low as he continued. "You are honest, which is something... I'm not exactly possessed of.”
You sighed in the back of your head as you looked at him.
"Clearly, you don't even have any decency either."
And that was the last conversation you had with him ever since that night.
⬪⬪⬪⬪⬪
Because on the very next day, a lot of things happened, and as a result, your House was deserted. And even though you weren’t affected by that, since by that time you were already a 4th year, Elias wasn’t so lucky. He was put on probation for his failure in his captain duties, for how he overlooked the House. Even when you and other students tried to defend him, the school had already finalized their decision. And what shocked you the most was that Professor Hyde confirmed Elias had taken the blame on himself and taken full responsibility for what had happened.
But strangely enough, you weren’t affected by any of that, as if you had been kept in the dark on purpose so you wouldn’t get tangled in the mess.
So when you were at your internship in the special task force and heard that soon the others would be able to return to campus, you doubted that Dionysia would be reopened, because Darkwick never gives something out without getting something back. You already doubted at that point that they would have to take on some mission to be able to gain what they wanted.
But a few students seemed too excited when they heard there was a chance to reopen it. So you took some time off to revisit your school.
Darkwick has always been strict about who can come in and who can get off the island, but the 4th years are technically still students of Darkwick. You and the others are still allowed to come back occasionally, though you have to get R&R approved by both Darkwick and the force where you are interning.
And monthly, 4th years have to send their internship reports to the school anyway, so you took your time to send the report as you visited your school too.
Out of habit, your feet just wandered toward the right Dionysia dorm, which is now deserted. Everything looks run-down because of the neglect. This place falls apart so easily without anyone around to take care of or maintain it. You drag your feet inside as you look around at the desolated buildings and tents. Even the Ferris wheel looks hysterical in your eyes because you doubt whether it can still work.
You remember Elias would occasionally ride it. You remember that well because it was one of the many rare memories he shared with you, that he had a routine, a habit. He liked to ride it to check whether it functioned just fine, but in reality, he just liked to stay inside one of the compartments, looking down on the island from above as he dragged a long smoke from his cigarette.
Maybe it was one of his sanctuaries, a hideout he felt like going to whenever he felt overwhelmed or wanted to avoid something. You’re unsure. But you do remember that after his sharing, you had taken note of more places you could find him when he slacked off on his work again.
You look at the Ferris wheel as you hesitantly, slowly approach the control panel in a small cabin right under it. Pushing the door open, you expect the place to be covered in dust like every other place. But it is surprisingly clean, and you suspect whether someone has occasionally cleaned this place. Was it Haru? Was it Elias? You don’t know.
You doubt it can even work without the main electricity to operate the whole place. There is no use in cleaning this place either way.
But still, you reach your hand to flip the switch on the side. And surprisingly, all the lights in the cabin turn on, with a small melody flowing into your ears. It is supposed to be the music they sometimes play in the compartments of the Ferris wheel, but it seems like the speaker has been wrecked a bit, as the sound comes out uneven and eerie, making the cheerful melody turn into something horrifying and petrifying.
You walk out of the cabin as you look up to see all the lights on the Ferris wheel lit up, which is very odd. You didn’t know this could still run. You approach the Ferris wheel as you step up on the stairs, looking at each compartment slowly sliding up as you wonder if you can even ride them, because there needs to be someone controlling the panel for you to ride the wheel.
But as you’re lost in your thoughts, a compartment suddenly stops in front of you as its door slides open. You’re dumbfounded, as no one is controlling the panel right now. You turn slightly to see a familiar figure standing right there. His dark ash-brown hair seems to lighten at the tips as the light casts over his face. He still has that usual smug expression. Even when his smile is soft and faint, it’s still as punchable as always.
“Didn’t know we would have a visitor,” he makes a small comment as he approaches you, and you notice a small remote in his hand.
That might be why he can control the compartment without touching the panel.
“Didn’t know we would have a cleaner here,” you say as both you and he stare at his janitor outfit.
He lets out a small laugh as he answers, “I’m still on duty. Just taking a small break.”
You don’t really pay attention to what he says as your eyes once again dart around the place.
“Did you clean the cabin?” you ask him, and he also looks around a bit before speaking up.
“I try to keep some places tidy as much as I can,” he answers, honestly this time, and it surprises you a bit.
“Shame that one person can’t handle all those tasks,” you speak.
He chuckles a bit bitterly as he tilts his head slightly once he’s in front of you.
“Want to have a ride?”
He asks, and you don’t say no. You both get on and settle down in your seats opposite each other as your gaze darts outside the window.
He really meant it when he said he tries to keep things clean as much as he can, because the glass windows are still clear and seem well maintained, as you can still see outside clearly.
Once the door slides closed, you feel the compartment shift slightly as it slowly moves up.
⬪⬪⬪⬪⬪
“How’s your internship going?” Elias’s question drags your attention back to him as your eyes once again fall onto his slate-blue ones.
“It’s going well.” You only answer simply, without any further elaboration.
Elias senses the coldness in your tone as he makes a small comment. “I can tell. That uniform looks good on you.”
Your gaze shifts down slightly to your outfit, as you were at work before rushing to Darkwick, so you didn’t get a chance to change, and you still have your intern ID on.
“Yeah, it does suit me better than Darkwick’s,” you answer him honestly, as you find no reason to like that uniform.
You just wonder what he is exactly thinking, because he should also have been an intern by now, not stuck in these nostalgic and broken memories.
But maybe, just maybe, the reason he chose to stay and take responsibility was because he believed that one day he would be able to bring Dionysia back onto the map, along with its shows, the entertainment, the applause, and the cheerful smiles they used to gain from their audiences.
He only lets out a small laugh at your words, as he doesn’t seem to have any further thoughts. He’s still the same unreadable captain you have known, distant with a laid-back attitude, always seeming to slack off but very serious in his missions. You wonder if he has changed in some way and how he has been doing. But wanting to know doesn’t equal wanting to ask, because what should you say?
You feel like whatever answer he gives you, you won’t be satisfied at all. Whether he feels miserable or not, it won’t make you feel any better.
“Relax your eyebrows a bit. Too many frowns will give you wrinkles.”
His comment drags you back from your thoughts as your gaze fixes on him again.
The compartment slowly moves higher as you look out of the window again, seeing Darkwick more clearly, seeing the campus more vividly. Looking down from here just makes you realize how lonely and cast-off Dionysia looks. Let alone the other Houses, who knows whether they will have a chance to reopen.
You lean against the glass a bit, which makes Elias let out a small reminder.
“Don’t get too close to the glass.”
You only give him a small glance from the corner of your eyes before continuing to view the scenery outside. When the compartment finally arrives at the top, you realize how long it has been since you last rode a Ferris wheel and how beautiful the world can seem from up here. Ever since you started your internship, you have always been busy with tasks and work and cases. You barely have time for yourself, let alone really care about other things. So entertainment, which used to be part of your life, suddenly fades into the background like some meaningless memory you put at the back of your head. It hasn’t been that long, but how come it feels like an eternity has spun past your eyes without you even knowing?
You can feel Elias’s gaze on the side of your face, but you just ignore his existence for now. But it’s not easy when you two are stuck in the same space at who-knows-how-many meters high this is.
But suddenly, the wheel stops as it shakes a bit. You back away from the glass and lean into your seat.
“What’s going on?” you ask, a bit panicked and nervous.
Elias also looks around before shrugging slightly. “Oh, sometimes it does that. Mio isn’t around to maintain it, so there’s only so much I can do.” He speaks so casually, as if being stuck at this height doesn’t affect or bother him at all.
His unserious and unconcerned tone makes you want to punch him, as suddenly he looks just like the same old Elias to you.
He seems very familiar with the situation, which makes you wonder whether this has happened to him often enough that he can just stay relaxed like that.
“It’ll start working again after a couple of minutes,” he adds, as if to ease your concern.
You stress out a bit as you look at him. “Really?”
“Maybe a couple of hours sometimes,” he answers with a hopeless smile.
You almost slap him for real as his lips curve up so punchably.
“You’ve gotta be kidding.”
He shakes his head at your words.
“It works when it wants. I can’t really control that.”
And then you see his hand slide into the front pocket of his uniform as he flicks out a cigarette packet again.
“I thought you quit,” you ask without thinking.
Fuck. Because most of the time you’d think carefully about what’s on your mind before speaking out loud, but for some reason, whenever you’re around him, things just slip out.
And Elias, he just smiles at you as he shakes his head.
“Old habits die hard.”
His fingers take out a small stick as he hovers it over his lips. His other hand takes out a lighter from his pocket as he turns the flame on, holding it close to the butt of the cigarette resting on his lips.
He takes a small drag of smoke once again. And when he breathes out, you see that familiar grey veil between the two of you once more. In this tiny space, it seems even more visible. Even when you’re not that far away from him, the smoky veil still makes you feel like he isn’t really there. Like it’s all just your imagination. A wall. A layer that separates and divides your worlds completely.
And you hate that. You hate smoking. You hate the scent of it, how that thing travels into people’s lungs and could harm everybody who consumes it, directly or indirectly. And in your eyes, those who smoke in public without concern for other people are just nasty.
As far as you know, Elias doesn’t tend to smoke around other students, especially those who don’t smoke. But with you, he just seems not to care whether you like it or not. And maybe because you two have worked together for so long, you kind of get used to it, to the tang of smoke on the edge of his sleeve. Or when he walks by you or stands by your side, you can smell it clearly. Like it’s his way of telling you, showing you, that he’s present by your side.
And at some point, when you were on your internship, you kind of missed the scent. Because without it, it reminded you that Elias wasn’t your partner or captain anymore. He was just… Elias. A man who has zero connection to you if it’s not because you both enrolled at Darkwick and happened to be housemates. If not, he wouldn’t even look your way for a single second.
So when you became an intern, you picked up a habit of smoking or more like buying cigarettes and burning them without really smoking them. Because it’s the same brand that Elias smokes. And the scent tricks you into believing that he’s still present somewhere in your life. At least that’s how you tried to survive each day, knowing he’s not by your side. Nor will you ever work with him again. So at some point, you get used to that and accept that you might not ever meet him again.
But ever since the last conversation you had with him, you wonder if he kissed you out of impulsiveness, or if it was because he knew what was going to happen next, that maybe he wouldn’t be able to meet you again. Then why did he choose such an action, to make you disdain him in some way? Would that make his life easier? Would that make him feel better because he didn’t tell you anything? You don’t know.
Because you wouldn’t dare to ask either way. Because deep down, you don’t want to know the answer. Because maybe that kiss was meaningless to him. But to you, it was different. Because you don’t do meaningless things.
But there is one thing you know from that night: Elias didn’t build that grey wall between the two of you. And if he did, he had already crossed it by kissing you. And he didn’t seem to regret it. You wonder if he was being brave, gathering enough courage to close the gap between you. And whether he wanted you to do the same.
But you have always felt like you lost to Elias in some way, schoolwork, duty, friends, housemates, classmates, reputation. Like everything you achieved was always one point behind him.
And now, even when it comes to feelings.
How can you accept that, always losing to him? Even when it’s about your own emotions, and even when he seems more unserious than you, and when he’s rarely honest, he somehow still wins you over by accepting what he deeply holds inside himself.
And yet you feel like a child for always being jealous of him. You wonder how he can form such a secure and collected aura for himself. And why, even when you try so hard, it still feels like you’re a child trying to copy an adult.
You lift your head to look at him, but the smoke covers half of his face, and you can barely see anything. You don’t know what kind of expression he has or how he feels about being stuck here with you.
But that familiar scent of smoke lacing through the space somehow makes your heart beat harder and louder. Are you panicking? Nervous? Terrified? Or all at once? You don’t know anymore.
And before you can think, you stand up from your seat and walk over to him.
“Give me some,” you say to him, your eyes falling on the cigarette resting between his lips.
He takes the cigarette between his fingers slightly as he looks up at you, seeing how you’re standing in front of him. “You smoke now?” He flicks his packet, which is now empty, and lifts his head with a smile. “Sorry, that was my last-”
But before he can finish his sentence, you grab the collar of his jumpsuit and lean down, pulling him into a kiss. Your lips press against his as he seems stunned by your action, gripping the packet in his hand so tightly his knuckles turn white at what you did.
It’s only a brief, small kiss before you pull away slightly.
You’re not bold enough to kiss him any differently because, after all, you’re not Elias. But you don’t regret doing that at all. You can feel the tips of your ears and your cheeks heating up as you try to back away and return to your seat but Elias is quicker.
His arms wrap around your waist as he pulls you back. You stumble and fall onto his lap, panicking as your eyes widen at his action. Your hands immediately shove against his shoulders, afraid you might be too close to him.
“Was that because you wanted to smoke?” he asks suddenly, his stale blue eyes gazing up at your face.
His voice is lower and deeper now, laced with something you can’t quite name. His arms wrap firmly around you as he pulls you closer, almost as if he wants to carve you into him.
“…No,” you answer slowly, and he lets out a small smile.
But slowly it grows deeper until it turns into a low, dark chuckle. His head leans against you, and you can feel his body shake, his chest rumbling as he laughs, his voice echoing louder in the quiet space you two share.
“This is why I like you.” His hand reaches up gently, moving a strand of hair away from your face.
And only now do you realize he must have dropped his cigarette when you suddenly kissed him out of nowhere.
The tips of his fingers still carry the tang of nicotine as you look at him.
Yes, you didn’t kiss him because you wanted to taste the smoke. You kissed him because you wanted to break the smoke, that thin layer of illusion, so fragile and intangible, that always seemed to keep distance between you, separating you from him. It annoyed you in so many ways. You just wanted to tear it down and see him clearly.
His hand then caresses the side of your face softly, as if you’re some delicate doll. Then slowly it moves down to the side of your neck, making you shiver. His hand slides to the back of your neck as he pulls you in once again, tilting his head so his lips can meet yours at a better angle.
He kisses you again. This time it’s different, because you finally reciprocate. You hold his face in your hands gently as you lean closer, deepening the kiss. The air in the compartment grows heavier and hotter. Sometimes you can even hear the soft, embarrassed sound of your lips meeting as his tongue parts your lips to enter your mouth once again, intertwining with yours. Even though you don’t have as much experience as him, you still try to take the lead, to regain whatever small control you think you have, only to give up again when he seems to know exactly how to kiss you to melt your heart.
When he finally pulls away, you can see the thin silver thread between your lips. His tongue drags softly over your lower lip, as if tasting what remains.
His arm is still around you as your hands rest on his shoulders. You can see the pink hue on his cheeks, his hair slightly disheveled, his lips wet and a bit reddened, inviting more as you bite his bottom lip softly.
He lets out a small chuckle before kissing you once again, as if your action triggers something in him, his grip growing a bit tighter.
“W-wait-” You can barely breathe as his kiss grows more dangerous, greedier with each passing second.
“I have waited enough,” he answers between kisses as he gazes up at you. “I’ve been patient all this time. Don’t you think I deserve some reward?”
You can feel your whole face burning at his shameless request, but you can’t say anything when his lips crash onto yours once again.
You shift slightly, trying to move away from his kiss, and your hand accidentally presses on something hard over the pocket on his chest. Suddenly you hear a loud creak as the wheel starts running again. You look outside the window in surprise before your gaze falls back on Elias, who is clearly looking smugly guilty.
You pull whatever is in his pocket out and see the remote he had earlier when you both got on the wheel.
“Did you have this all the time? And you can use it?” you ask him.
And he just smiles as he answers,
“Ah, I must have forgotten that.”
“Don’t lie. You did it on purpose, didn’t you?!”
Now you really feel embarrassed. In the end, Elias is still able to wrap you around his finger. You try to move away from him, but he wraps his arms around you once again, keeping you against him.
“Elias!”
He doesn’t budge at all as he buries his face into your shoulder, taking in your scent as he nuzzles slightly.
“Let me stay like this for a moment. I won’t be able to see you once you leave.”
His voice is suddenly laced with such sadness and loneliness that you don’t know whether he’s being honest or not. But you have never seen Elias like this before, and you don’t know how to react. All you can do is sit still and let him hug you, your warmth lacing together as his strands of hair tickle your skin softly.
After a moment of silence, right when the compartment almost reaches the bottom.
“I’ll visit more often from now on.”
His body stiffens slightly at your words as he slowly looks up, leaning back a bit to see your face more clearly.
“Because of me, or because you think there’s a chance for Dionysia to reopen?”
He asks, his voice lower and colder for some reason, his grip tightening slightly.
You wrap your arms softly around his neck as you answer him honestly.
“Both. Because of you, and because I trust you guys can bring Dionysia back together.”
And that answer earns the biggest, widest smile you have ever seen from Elias.
Pairing: Merfolk! Shion Genkai × GN! Mortkranken! Reader
Note: Shion is just being Shion when he calls you “wife,” okay? The Reader can be whoever you want them to be!
Masterlist
I can imagine Shion as a merfolk who absolutely still has all his predatory instincts, even after years or decades of living among humans. And the merfolk way of showing affection is also very different compared to humans.
Like, they can choose a human to be their mate. They lure that person with their voice, if he has some siren ability, then drag them down into the water and drown them while kissing them, turning them into one of the merfolk.
So being a merfolk's mate is a very tough task, not easy at all. And when a merfolk marks you as their mate, they will try to drown you in some way.
So hear me out.
Imagine you are a Mortkranken student who is assigned to take care of the aquarium anomalies with your team. However, since Shion is a merfolk, he also needs his monthly, sometimes weekly, full body checkup. So this huge tank in the laboratory is for him only when he has a checkup scheduled.
The thing is, he is very uncooperative when it comes to having checkups, which gives lots of students and staff a headache. Those who were able to handle his checkups before either quit or got scared almost to death by him.
He is sly and mischievous, saying things others cannot understand. He has tried to drown a couple of students too. So everybody has heard of his reputation and is too afraid to even come near the tank, let alone approach him to do any checkup.
Yuri has a terrible headache because of this issue, as everyone refuses to be assigned to Shion.
And you? A first year student who is just doing your daily tasks. You are supposed to check the temperature and filter system, but as you are near the surface of the tank, you feel something slippery and wet on your skin. Looking down, you see his dark blue hair rising above the water surface as his sharp, clawed, membrane hand grips tightly around your ankle. Everybody seems stunned by his sudden appearance because Shion normally never even comes up when people call for him.
As you freeze in place, you hear Yuri shout from across the room, telling you to stay away from the water.
But it is too late as you grab onto the nearest railing when he suddenly pulls you so violently, as if he is trying to drag you under the water.
You can swim but you are scared, okay? What if he really drowns you? You have heard about the rumors and there is no way you are going to risk your life and let him drag you into the tank. You do not even know where you find the strength to hold onto the railing as you kick him and struggle to break free, but his grip is so tight you almost feel like your bones will twist and crack.
Not until someone turns on the sound wave system to chase him away does he finally let go. You even accidentally kick him in the face while struggling.
After that, you are still stunned by the whole thing. Your heart is beating loudly, your blood runs cold as everybody rushes to see if you are okay.
That was not a pleasant surprise and definitely not a good first impression.
But you only take a few days off before you return after getting some proper rest because, well, you love working in the aquarium section and also... he has not exactly done anything to you yet.
Yeah, let’s hope it stays that way.
・。・。・。
But as you near the surface again, you suddenly feel that wet, slippery, all too familiar sensation. You turn around and look down, once again stunned to meet that glowing pair of yellow eyes.
He gives you an eerily deep grin, his skin pale as water streams down his face. Dark blue strands of hair cling to his porcelain features, and you can almost see his fangs when he smiles like that.
“You came back.”
Everyone seems to panic when they see him, afraid he might try to drown you like last time. Your breath trembles slightly. Even your hands are shaking, and your heart nearly stops beating.
Still, you try to keep calm. You inhale and exhale slowly and deeply. Carefully, you crouch down at the edge, meeting his gaze as you give a small introduction about yourself.
“Hi… Nice to meet you…”
He seems pleased with that, his tail flicking as it creates a small riptide on the surface.
Ever since that day, Shion has been very cooperative when it comes to body checkups. As long as you are the one performing the tasks, he is always visibly pleased. So even when Yuri is worried, he still assigns the responsibility to you. You take on the task of caring for this merfolk, all the while carrying the constant fear that he might try to drown you.
Yet after spending days with him, he shows no intention of doing so. Instead, he gives you an anklet made from his old scales. He tells you it is from molting season, and that most merfolk give their prettiest scales to their mate as a pledge of love. He admits it is not the most beautiful scale he has. He says he will make another one for you after his next molting season, but if you would prefer to pluck a fresh one from him, that would be fine too.
He even goes as far as showing you his large tail so you can choose the scale you want. You could strip him clean if you wished. He would not stop you.
But you gently ease him down, telling him you like the anklet enough and that he does not need to go that far. You thank him for the small gift. He seems displeased by your refusal, yet still happy that you accepted what he gave.
He is definitely the sly type, always trying to lure you into the water with him whenever he has the chance. You have not fallen for any of his attempts, but still… you cannot deny the temptation. The way he speaks is unique, oddly poetic, gloomy and eerie, yet somehow still beautiful. Haunting, in a way that makes you want to lean closer just to hear more.
And what you notice most about Shion is that he is beautiful. A haunted kind of beauty, the sort you would only find in ancient works of art. Like an old painting, forgotten and gathering dust in an abandoned mansion. Like a statue standing silent in a long forgotten garden. Like jewelry lost with the treasure of a sunken ship.
And those three beauty marks beneath his eyes. They rest there so perfectly, brushing against his velvet, snow-white skin. Like dark pearls, faintly glimmering under the light.
And his velvet dark blue hair, softly grazing the tips of your fingers whenever he nuzzles close to your hand, silently asking to be patted.
And his large hands, with long, slender fingers. Between them stretches a thin membrane, and his claws are sharp and gleaming. It feels as though with just one slight movement, he could draw deep crimson blood from your flesh.
Though he is slightly undernourished due to his diet, you have been adjusting it, and he is getting better now. Even so, he still seems to be in great shape for hunting.
You notice that he likes sweets and dislikes anything bitter, so you try to add a bit of sweetness to his meals. However, he only eats those snacks if you feed him yourself. Otherwise, he never finishes them. He always leaves leftovers behind, which explains why he has been lacking proper nutrition.
He is always teasing you with his myths about merfolk, saying things like if humans receive a kiss from a merfolk, they can breathe underwater. Of course, it is only a myth, because no one has ever been brave enough to test it.
He also claims that instead of tears, he can cry pearls and crystal gems. If you want to see it, he says, you could twist a knife in his heart, and he would shed a fortune’s worth of pearls for you.
He goes on to say that if merfolk do not have a mate, they will die, dissolving into sea foam and never seeing the light again. According to him, one of the ways merfolk reproduce is by transforming humans into one of their own, making them their mates and creating more merfolk.
Their immortality depends on their mate. If their mate dies, they die as well.
It sounds both beautiful and tragic. To live with your mate and die with them, yet to have your entire existence depend on another person.
Shion seems thrilled by the idea. He says he has chosen you to be his mate. He has no regrets and would live and die for you, and you alone.
Is that not hauntingly romantic of him?
How could you refuse a man who bares his soul and heart to you like that?
And knowing Shion, he might even tear his heart out and place it in your hands if that is what you wished. Just say the word, and he would devote himself completely to you, expecting the same in return.
・。・。・。
Somehow, by the time you realize it, the two of you are already together. Still, Shion has a great deal to learn about human relationships. You find his ideas about family and connection strangely intriguing, and more often than not, you do not argue with them.
Because of Shion’s instincts and the fact that he is nothing like the merfolk you have worked with before, things are never simple. His species is unusual and quite rare, so much so that even Darkwick has difficulty classifying him. Sometimes, when you talk with him or check on him, and if he is in a good mood, he might answer one or two of your questions.
“You’re spacing out, Wife.”
His eerie voice suddenly pulls you from your wandering thoughts, and you turn to see him in the water.
His brows are furrowed, clearly displeased that your attention was elsewhere. He flicks his tail, splashing the water in quiet irritation.
Knowing Shion, you always come prepared. Ever since you started working with him, you make sure to wear your swimsuit. You have no intention of leaving the lab soaked like a sewer drenched rat.
You watch as he swims closer. Your legs are already in the water, enjoying the cool and refreshing sensation as you finally voice your thoughts.
“I was just wondering… can you sing, Shion?”
He lets out a soft laugh, there is a hint of mockery in it.
“Yes… but not in the way you think.”
You tilt your head slightly at his answer.
Then suddenly his hands wrap around your ankle. You still flinch every time. You can never quite get used to it, as though at any moment he might drag you down and drown you with him.
“I just recalled what Elias said the other day about your singing voice,” you say, looking down at him as he gently rests his head against your knees.
He nuzzles closer and you feel the slick glide of his skin as his hand reaches up to take yours.
“You want to hear me sing?” he asks, a haunting smile curling on his lips. For a moment, you wonder if you should even say yes.
It feels like willingly stepping into a trap.
“I was just curious if it works the same as a siren.”
Shion suddenly hisses out loud. You startle as his fangs flash right before your eyes.
“Do not compare me to them.”
You fall silent, taken aback by his reaction. After a moment, you gently reach out and pat his head, trying to calm him. He is clearly still upset but your touch softens him somehow. Slowly, he melts into it, resting his head against your knees once more.
You suppose he must have some bad history with sirens.
“…All right then,” you murmur softly. “Would you care to enlighten me a bit?”
Your fingers softly thread through his hair, and you still find yourself amazed by how almost magical it feels. Even when wet, it remains so silky. Sometimes, you cannot help but feel a little jealous. You wonder if it is because he is a merfolk or if his hair is simply that perfect.
“Hm…”
He seems lost in thought for a long moment before finally speaking.
“Our voices can guide those who are lost at sea.”
That piques your interest, and you listen more closely.
“But we can also guide them into the abyss.”
He tilts his head slightly against your lap, turning just enough to meet your gaze. His lips curl into a sly smirk, his eyes narrowing, they’re dark yet faintly glowing under the light.
Your curiosity deepens as you wait for him to continue.
“It depends on what they desire, what greed they carry,” he explains quietly, though his words send a faint shiver down your spine. “And those who have lost their way will never be able to leave the ocean, whether we sing for them or not.”
You look down at him as he lifts his head slightly. Your fingers instinctively follow, your touch grazing softly against his skin. He seems to enjoy it, leaning further into your hand.
“That’s… scary,” you murmur.
He laughs again, a low and rumbling sound mixed with something almost playful. His arms wrap around you, pulling you a little closer as the smile lingers on his lips.
“Yes, it is,” he confirms, humming a soft melody you cannot quite recognize. “But that is on them. We are just predators, hunting our prey.”
You have noticed that before, the way Shion always refers to himself as something carnivorous. You know he still carries those wild, instinctive traits, even after living among humans for so long. You wonder if he ever feels like he does not belong anywhere, or if he simply does not care.
Knowing Shion, it is likely the latter. He never seems bothered when people are afraid of him, when they avoid him or run the moment they see him.
He never tries to fit in either. He simply does what he wants, whenever he feels like it. Sometimes it is dangerous but you have managed so far.
“You’re not like that, Shion,” you say.
His smile fades instantly. His lips press into a thin line as he stares at you with unsettling intensity.
“Really?” he asks, and his voice sounds so low. “Then what exactly am I like?”
You feel the shift in his mood immediately.
With a quiet sigh, you steady yourself and meet his gaze.
It is not that you are trying to convince Shion to change, but rather that you do not want him to see himself as something so burdensome. He may never admit it out loud, but you can sense how he feels. Every time you show him even the smallest bit of affection, he downplays it or brushes it off with a warning, always reminding you of “what he is”
You wonder if he truly sees himself as nothing more than a wild creature.
To you, Shion may not be like other people, but then again, no one is truly the same as anyone else. He has his own quirks and you adore them. Yet every time he reminds you that he is something beyond your ability to understand or handle, it leaves you feeling a little deflated, a little insecure. It feels as though he does not fully believe in your feelings for him, and that stings more than you would like to admit.
When your own boyfriend does not trust you, it is hard not to feel that way.
You cannot claim to understand Shion completely, but you hope that one day you will. More than that, you hope he will allow you to.
“I may not know much,” you admit honestly.
His gaze remains fixed on you, as though his eyes are trying to express what words cannot, like claws digging into your skin, drawing something deeper to the surface.
“But I want to get to know you more. As Shion Genkai, not as a merfolk, not as a ghoul, not as a human, not as an anomaly.”
You keep your words simple, meeting his gaze without hesitation.
Though you do not say it aloud, anticipation builds quietly within you. You wait for his answer, for some kind of acceptance.
“You have plenty of time to.”
When he finally speaks, a soft laugh escapes your lips as his arms tighten around you.
“But… do you really want to?”
There is doubt in his voice.
That is what makes it so difficult to reach him. Shion carries a deep sense of mistrust. Even when he claims to have chosen you as his mate, he still hesitates like this, as though he cannot fully place his faith in you.
Perhaps it is because of how you first met. There was nothing gentle or romantic about it. No good first impression to soften the edges. And yet, Shion has never regretted trying to pull you into the water. In his own way, that was affection, and he never intended to hide it.
You are not sure how to answer him, even though the answer feels obvious.
Instead, you lift your hands and wrap your arms around his neck. His body stiffens at first, startled by your sudden closeness but then he slowly relaxes into it.
His gaze darkens as you draw his face closer. You idly twirl a strand of his soft, dark hair around your fingers before speaking.
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
Your voice drops to a quiet whisper meant only for him.
“So I’ll need your cooperation, Mr. Genkai.”
You tease him lightly but he remains silent, his expression unreadable as he holds you close.
His lips still press into a thin line as his pupils seem to scan and dart across your face, like he is trying to crawl in and dig out any lie from you. He seems unconvinced by your words, and you already know that.
It is such a difficult and challenging process to earn his trust, and by now you are just that used to it.
And you can somehow understand all his mischievous antics before, when he messed with other staff and chased them away. It is likely because he does not trust them.
The water on his skin brushes against your fingertips as you gently caress the side of his face, drawing his attention back from whatever dark, consuming thoughts he was having.
“Shouldn't you trust your mate, Shion?” you ask, as his yellow eyes flicker slightly toward your face. “Like how I trust you.”
His grip grows a bit tighter at your words. He leans a little closer as water drifts from the tip of his nose.
“If I did not trust you,” he speaks quietly, “you would be at the bottom of this tank now.”
You let out a loud laugh at his answer. Yes, that is just a very Shion way of expressing himself. Threatening. Most people would freak out at that, but you trust him enough. He will not harm you. Though pulling you into the water is still something he would likely do. He cannot help it.
You press your lips softly against the side of his face. His skin is cold and smooth, the dampness coming into contact with your own as he seems startled by your affection.
But unlike before, he does not pull away this time. His gaze lowers to look at your face more closely. He is awfully quiet today as you look back into his eyes.
“What is it?” you ask softly as he leans in closer to you, his nose gently nuzzling against yours. You feel his breath graze your skin.
“I still want to drown you with me...”
That almost makes you choke. He always knows what to say to ruin the mood. But it is actually his way of showing affection, so you have learned to get used to it anyway.
He leaves you a bit speechless as his head tilts slightly, his nose nuzzling against the side of your face. His warm breath lingers around you, and the closeness makes you imagine that both of you can hear each other’s heartbeat.
His breath invades your space as you feel his body press even closer. The moment you close your eyes, you feel his soft, cold lips press against yours.
Shion’s kisses always seem a bit clumsy, as he is not used to this kind of affection, but he always kisses you with everything he has. Even when it is subtle, you can still feel his desire as his breath mingles with yours. You enjoy soft kisses with him, though Shion rarely kisses gently.
Maybe the way he kisses is just as odd as the way he shows his affection to you.
His tongue drapes over your lower lip, licking you slowly as his eyes open slightly. His pupils seem to glow during the kiss as you feel his fangs graze your lip. He bites your lower lip very softly, as if he is afraid he might tear it. And to be honest, he has before.
Your first kiss was not as soft as this. Back then, Shion was still not familiar with closeness. When he kissed you, it almost felt like he was trying to devour you, his fangs sharp as they drew a bit of crimson blood from the corner of your lip. Even then, he did not stop, flicking his tongue across the blood. He seemed to enjoy the taste and how you squirmed and groaned softly when he hurt you.
But he has learned a thing or two about being gentle. He knows humans are fragile, which is inconvenient sometimes. Still, at least he is trying to learn and understand, being careful not to hurt you now.
Your hand rests at the back of his neck, his soft strands mingling between your fingers, making his kiss grow deeper with each sensation, each small touch you give him.
It somehow satisfies him, yet at the same time, it makes the void within him yearn for more.
His hand reaches to the back of your head as his other arm tightly holds you against him, almost as if he wants to melt you and mold you into himself. As if one more second of your kiss would make him sink his fangs deeply into your flesh and tear you apart completely.
As you slowly catch up with the rhythm he is building, you begin to reciprocate his kiss with the same affection. You bite his lower lip softly, grazing your tongue against his upper lip, and it seems to trigger something in Shion.
You feel his grip loosen around you, as if he is leaning away. That makes you frown slightly. Why is he pulling away?
You do not think much of it. You are just like him, lost in his closeness, and you do not like it when his presence no longer radiates against you. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you shift your body closer, chasing after his lips.
You can almost hear a small chuckle from Shion as his arms hover around you.
And by the time you realize it, your body is draped over him, clinging to him. You open your eyes, seeing the state you are in. Subtly, you plan to shift back to your position, but suddenly Shion’s hands grip you tightly.
It is so sudden that you turn your face slightly to look at him, and in that moment, something flashes beneath his glowing eyes. It darkens and dangerous. Before you can even react, he pulls you with him straight into the cold water.
Your arms remain around him as panic surges through you, fear of drowning tightening your chest. But his arms wrap so tightly around your body, refusing to let you go, as if he is determined to pull you deep into the depths with him. He looks slender, yet his grip is incredibly strong, leaving you unable to move at all.
You feel the slippery sensation of his tail against your skin as you struggle to pull away. But Shion does not let go. He seems… at peace, completely unafraid that you might drown.
You hit his chest, and he only lets out a small smirk beneath the water.
“Breathe.”
You read it from his lips, since sound cannot travel properly like this underwater.
He seems so relaxed and unfazed, while you are panicking. Before entering the water, you had already held your breath.
But now, seeing him say that, your mind almost freezes. Can you really breathe underwater?
If you listen to him now, would you die? And if you do not… would he really drown you?
You are not sure.
But earlier, you told him that you trust him. And you do not want to go against your own words, no matter the circumstances.
So even with your life at risk, you finally open your mouth slowly, inhaling through your nose.
But to your surprise, you do not feel the suffocating sensation you expected. There is no feeling of water filling your lungs, at least none that you can notice.
You are even able to exhale normally, small bubbles escaping as you breathe out.
And Shion, the grin on his lips only grows wider, stretching into a mischievous smile. He speaks again, and you read his lips.
“Told you.”
You finally relax when you realize you can breathe normally, but… how?
Was the merfolk kiss really a thing?
You look at Shion in confusion, and he simply continues to smile. His arms are still around you, but his grip has loosened now. You could break free at any moment and swim back to the surface, but you do not.
Instead, you slowly relax in his embrace. Shion shifts slightly, taking your hand as he adjusts his position, letting you face him as your body floats beneath the water.
You notice his tail brushing against your legs as your gaze drifts downward, surprised by how large it is.
Yes, you know that a merfolk’s water form is large, but… his tail is somehow massive. You recall all the times he whipped his tail hard enough to create a riptide. He must have been holding back, because with this… he could easily send someone to their death with a single strike.
He notices your attention wandering again. His hand gently cups your face, guiding your gaze back to his. Underwater, his eyes glow more clearly. You were not imagining it. They truly are glowing.
He draws you closer to him, his tail sweeping through the water as it curls forward, pulling you along with him. He seems to enjoy it as he drapes your arms over his shoulders once more.
His hand slides down to your hip, holding you close. Without warning, he leans in and kisses you again.
Underwater, the sensation feels strange. It is not quite the same kind of wetness you are used to. Somehow, his breath still feels warm as he kisses you deeply. Your arms wrap around his neck as you close your eyes, letting yourself drift under his touch.
You feel his tongue slide out, parting your lips as he gently opens your mouth, finding your tongue as they intertwine. Your arms tighten around him as you lean further into the kiss. But every time it feels like you might take control, Shion leans in deeper, effortlessly turning the balance back in his favor.
You feel his soft strands floating in the water, brushing against your skin.
And as if you have accepted your fate, to sink deeper and deeper into the ocean with him, you let Shion kiss you like that.
Because really, how could you win against a merfolk underwater?
Even if you did not realize it at first, you had long since been charmed by him. And by the time you understood, he had already lured you into the depths of the ocean with him.
