Anonymous requested: How about Kinoshita/Saeki fic where Kinoshita tries to confess but he's not so great at it?
Admin Notes: I think Kinoshita is the kind of character that kind of gets bullied a lot because he seems to be carefree and drunk a lot. I think I have no regrets in bullying such characters in the fanfics because it's kind of fun and natural to do so. It's a little bit long so I am going to put it under the cut. Also remind me not to write near the middle of the night again. - Admin Saeki
"Saeki!" Kinoshita called to the lieutenant colonel as he fumbled his way over. His cheeks were red and his smile seemed more carefree than the usual. He waved his arms in a sloppy and uneven motion. There was no way he wasn't drunk and although it was a usual habit, it was also very troublesome and, dare the most competent of the escorts (Saeki) say so himself, very annoying.
Tanizaki who was standing next to and was talking to Saeki, had let out an exasperated sigh. He crossed his arms when he saw the latter's eyebrows twitch despite the smile on his face. This was a sign that Tanizaki took as not wanting to get involved with the situation. When he noticed that Saeki reached for his left side of his uniform, Tanizaki saw what he recognized as a gun holster. He backed away, not wanting to get dirty.
"Hahaha…" Kinoshita began to laugh in a high pitched tone and Saeki began to raise his arm that had reached to his left side. "I… hehe… Woovvee you Saeki~" Kinoshita then announced in a drunken slur. He then opened his arms wide and began to run (and stumble) towards Saeki with a stupid smile plastered on his face.
Kirishima had just walked out of the escorts' home and headquarters when he heard a gunshot coming from inside the west end of the building as well as a loud, cacophonous crack. Whether it was a wall or a skull that cracked was beyond his knowledge (both sounded the same to him) and so after a moment, continued his way to his next job.
Kinoshita laughed, this time controlled and sober, as he held an ice pack to the side of his head with a small stream of a red liquid dripping down his head and neck. Towels soaked in a red liquid sat on the wooden dining table in front of him and a single, metallic bullet cleaned and deformed was held between his fingers.
"I feel like you'll actually die again one day," Tanizaki commented. He sat across the table from Kinoshita, a shot glass in his hand that was quickly brought to his lips and took a sip. The strong taste of the sake streamed down his throat as he wondered how many shots it would take for Kinoshita to get drunk.
"You know that's impossible," Kinoshita argued, "and that it is unfair of you to drink in front of me." He pouted but noted nearly no change in facial expression from Tanizaki meaning the usually tough and strict demon didn't really care and didn't feel the need to feel angry or irritated. Scratch that, Tanizaki did feel pestered a lot yesterday but there was no point if Kinoshita was going to try and use his charm on him so that they could talk if it involved Saeki.
"That's what you get for trying to confess to Saeki when you're drunk."
"How does me being drunk mean you get to drink without me?"
"How does you getting drunk make Saeki actually believe you're serious when you say those goddamn embarrassing things?"
Kinoshita didn't answer at first. It was depressing and humiliating to even think about. The multiple times he had done that was one too many and he could only imagine what Saeki thought about his confessions in his drunken state.
He really did have feelings for Saeki. Real, genuine feelings most demons or any creature in the Underworld for that matter had no reason to worry over since they could not die. Saeki's kindness was beautiful. His smiles were (for the most part) pure. He was strong and competent and had no worries of such emotions such as 'love'. He had no need to drink when (if) he got depressed unlike Kinoshita. Saeki was like a magnet, attracting practically everyone to him and was liked by all. Loved? That's debatable but liked? Yes, Saeki was liked very much. Kinoshita more so than others.
Kinoshita remembered when he first figured out his feelings that he drank and got drunk out of confusion and frustration and came running towards Saeki, hugging him from behind and snuggling his head into the nook of Saeki's neck. He had then mumbled something completely incoherent that he was sure was something like "I love you" but was unheard. Saeki had then forced Kinoshita off his body, complained that he reeked of alcohol, and was sent to bed.
The second time he had gotten drunk was when he failed trying to tell Saeki that he liked him while sober ("Would you like to go out with me?" Saeki only thought that Kinoshita was inviting him to help out with a particularly easy job. "Want to go out for dinner? It'd be my treat." Saeki refused, not wanting to deal with a possibly drunk Kinoshita later on that night. "I really, really like you." Saeki responded with a smile and thank you and said that Kinoshita was also a great comrade when he wasn't drunk) and ended up blabbering slurred sentences to Tanizaki who was very much unwilling at that time to listen to the taller demon's drunk whining.
After several other repeating episodes of Kinoshita's failed confessions and the rest of the escorts not wanting or understanding his struggles, Tanizaki finally gave in and listened. Whatever miracle that brought Tanizaki to be Kinoshita's drinking buddy was beyond anyone and still remains a mystery to this day as Tanizaki shockingly listens calmly and patiently and listens to whatever Kinoshita has to say.
And Saeki began to pull his revolver out after the nth time of Kinoshita trying to hug him when he was drunk. It really seemed more like a sloppy tackle but knowing Kinoshita, Saeki figured otherwise.
Tanizaki sighed and poured himself another glass of sake before drinking it in one gulp.
"You really need to tell Saeki straight forward instead of going around the bush by inviting him to places or crap like that," he commented as he stared into his now empty shot glass.
"Tanizaki… you make it sound easier than what it actually is." Kinoshita frowned and slightly pressed the bag of ice a little more than he should against his head. An injured brain and a brain freeze did not seem like a fun event to go through.
"Just be blunt," Tanizaki advised.
"I'm not like that!"
"Not like what?" a very different voice asked, causing Kinoshita to become stiff.
There was a silence that lasted for extremely long seconds. Eventually Kinoshita turned his head and placed the bullet he had been holding onto the table. Saeki stood behind him with a curious and clueless looking-expression. Cyan eyes filled with inquiry, Kinoshita looked into them and found himself mystified and in love once more.
His blood now boiling (the head wound hasn't healed completely yet), Kinoshita found it in him to have the courage and try to tell Saeki his feelings once more that day. Quickly he stood up and walked towards Saeki, his eyebrows in a slight furrow and his gaze hard and unwavering.
"Is something the matter Kinoshita?" Saeki asked. He only came in to see how Kinoshita was doing. This kind of development was somewhat unprecedented. Then again, maybe Kinoshita was finally mad at being shot in the head for the forty-sixth time.
"I'd like to tell you something Saeki," Kinoshita stated as he suddenly held both of Saeki's hands in his. The ice pack fell to the floor with the consistency now like a slushie.
Tanizaki sat in the background with a somewhat stoic but amused expression on his face. He wasn't one to usually sit around and watch but when it came to Kinoshita's situation with Saeki, it was always better to watch from the sidelines and stay quiet to see how the scene would develop.
Saeki stayed silent, however, looked into Kinoshita's blazing green eyes with anticipation. If Kinoshita was this serious looking and was sober, it must mean something important, right?
"I… I want you to understand that I'm not joking and that I genuinely feel this way!" Kinoshita began to clarify without stating what he really wanted to tell Saeki. Ah, he was beating around the bush.
With a red face and his breath being held back (when did he hold back his breath?), he then opened his mouth in preparation to speak.
"Ack!" was the first sound that came from Kinoshita who suddenly dropped to his knees, his hands now gripping onto Saeki's before blood fountained out of Kinoshita's head.
The rusty, copper smell of the blood began to fill Kinoshita's nose and made him feel dizzy. Before he knew it, he found himself staring at the floor sideways. His eyes fluttered and saw a pool of his own blood spreading against the waxed, wooden floor. Eventually, when sounds became a jumbled mess and his vision blurry, Kinoshita allowed his eyes to close. The last he remembered doing was mouthing "I love you."
"I had a bad feeling about this shot," Saeki noted as he watched Kinoshita, now passed out on the floor. It wouldn't be good if the blood started seeping into the wood and staining it. The same would have to go for the table now that he noticed the bloodied towels resting on it.
"Tanizaki, could you bring Kinoshita to the healer and get him a blood transfusion? I'll go clean up the blood here," Saeki then suggested. Tanizaki was up and putting away the sake and had already washed the shot glass when Saeki asked and he agreed to taking Kinoshita to the healer.
Once Tanizaki was on his way and dragging Kinoshita on the floor behind him, he mumbled, "This one was because of your carelessness."