I don't really like this story, but I'm beginning to hate everything I write and publish everything I hate (thanks be to multi-chapter reconciliation!fics). Anyway, requii promised me a Munakata/Mikoto sick!fic if I published it. Also, her entry in the author-to-author challenge that precipitated this little drabble is called 'Keeping a Secret'. Check it out on her profile (full pen name 'lovebird requii').
HOMRA's doll-like princess takes cover behind Kusanagi, gripping the sleeve of his shirt in a tiny hand while apprehensively peeking over the bar. Her striking carmine eyes barely reach the countertop, but all present parties can see that they are widened in abject terror. In response, the blond drops his cleaning and slides a reassuring arm around her shoulders. Even so, Anna's gaze is riveted to the syringe in Mikoto's hand. She shakes her head and shrinks back further, crouching so that she's almost completely hidden behind Kusanagi.
HOMRA's king takes a lumbering breath in futile effort to corral his dwindling patience.
"It's not like I'm going away if you can't see me," the red-haired leader says, expression hovering somewhere between bored and listless. He's been attempting to administer Anna's injection for the better part of an hour in lieu of taking a well-earned nap.
"Is that really necessary?" Kusanagi inquires, drawing Anna closer. "You're scary enough without benefit wielding sharp objects."
"Yes, it is," Mikoto states simply, his eyes narrowing at the bartender. "And she's not afraid of me. She's afraid of the needle. Aren't you, Anna?"
A shake of the head in the negative. Mikoto almost laughs at the insinuation. Almost. Apparently, all he need do to deter SCEPTER 4 and that bastard Munakata is to pursue them with loaded syringes. He entertains the thought momentarily before discarding it forthwith. The Blue King seems like the sort of masochist that might delight in such a thing.
"I don't want it." The girl's voice is barely audible, and if the bar weren't so silent, it'd have been lost altogether. The redhead pinches the bridge of his nose, not knowing whether to be amused or mortified by how easily the Third King has been defeated by a shy, demurring child.
Kusanagi interrupts again. "Why didn't you have the doctor do it?"
"Because…" Mikoto says, stretching each frustrated syllable to its limit. "Anna doesn't like doctors…. and neither do I."
The blond can imagine the destruction that must have ensued at the doctor's office. Visions of charred examination tables and heat-roiled x-rays come to mind as he attempts to find a less troublesome way out of this impasse.
Precisely then, Totsuka crashes through the front door. He doesn't bother to greet either of the men, but his irises brighten at the sight of the petite beauty clinging desperately to his lieutenant.
"Anna-chan!" he exclaims, running behind the bar and sweeping the girl into his arms. He twirls around madly, singing a Christmas carol completely off key (and out of season) and no doubt sending his princess into vertigo-induced disequilibrium. "I have a gift for you," he declares after stopping. But the unusual glassiness of Anna's stare causes him concern. "What's wrong, Hime-chan?"
She merely points to the needle in Mikoto's raised hand, who sighs yet again. And Totsuka sees much, much more than the redhead would like.
"Don't worry, King. She's not afraid of you, are you Anna-chan?"
She only nods in the affirmative, causing Mikoto's lips to tighten and Kusanagi's to twist.
Totsuka lifts the girl onto the bar and digs through his back pockets, fishing out three expertly-crafted marbles made of clear, incarnadine glass. He holds one between his thumb and index finger and peers through it. "You look even prettier in all red," he says, a smile dancing in his eyes.
Careful pale fingers pluck the marble from his and the strain looks through it herself. Her pupils narrow as she sees like never before. "Everything's red."
"Isn't it beautiful?" he asks gently. "Wouldn't you like to see the whole world like this?"
"Yes."
"I'll take you, I promise. But first, you have to take this shot so that you can get better, okay? We can't go outside if you're not feeling well."
Anna nods. Mikoto huffs in resignation, strides forward, and deposits the syringe in Totsuka's outstretched palm. Remarkably, the brown-haired man is able to administer the injection with little fuss while HOMRA's darling gazes through the glass orb at the various objects littering Kusanagi's pub.
"See, that wasn't so bad," he says soothingly, once again pulling Anna into his arms. "Let's get your coat."
On his way upstairs, Totsuka swears that he notices more than irritation alighting the Red King's gaze. It's surprising, to be sure, but he's rarely mistaken about these things: Mikoto's jealous.
AN on 'The Empress': In a tarot reading, the Empress card in upright position typically signifies femininity, fertility, beauty, and creative expression. She encourages you to forge connections with others, particularly in terms of care-giving and nurturing. If reversed, however, the Empress card portends a lack of personal power due to dependence on others. Furthermore, she foregrounds a creative roadblock, an unforeseen difficulty in attaining goals. In this story, Anna quite obviously represents the Empress in upright position. The petite princess manages to forge connections with all of the HOMRA men despite her passive demeanor. Mikoto, conversely, represents the Empress in reverse position. Here we see his "power" diminished as a result of wanting to remain in Anna's good graces.