I wanted to upload something for Mikoto's birthday, I really did, but I didn't like the thing I started writing, so... Here, have some Mikorei angst instead~

Warning: no happy endings.

Perfect Irony

Snow had once again begun to cover the frozen ground as the blue-clad figure of a tall man made its way toward the old HOMRA bar, where the crew that used to be Mikoto's still hung around. In spite of no longer having a King, the ex-Red Clan still very much saw each other as family members, sticking together and never fully abandoning their old ways. Many of them even continued to resent the Scepter-4 clansmen, ever claiming them to be their "enemies".

So it was that Munakata Reisi felt a little out-of place as he pushed open the door of the inn. The sudden hush that fell over the small number of people present did nothing to relieve him of his awkwardness, but the Blue King didn't show any of his feelings openly; that much wouldn't ever change. Fixing all of his spectators with an icy stare for a brief second to scare at least some of them off, he took a seat in a lonely corner.

"Hello there sir, what can I get you?" Izumo greeted as though he had never seen Reisi before.

"... A glass of sherry," he replied after a moment's hesitation, "with ice cubes."

"Coming right up."

Reisi tried hard to pretend not to notice the stares (and deathglares) he was still receiving from the majority of the ex-Reds. One pair of eyes in particular burned into the back of his head, and he didn't need to turn around to know that they belonged to Yatagarasu, Fushimi's object of affection. Yata had taken Mikoto's death quite heavily, and as such, found it even harder than before to tolerate the presence of any of the Blues, let alone their leader. Everyone knew as much. However, Reisi simply wasn't in the mood to deal with the hate, instead forcefully ignoring them all in favor of intently scrutinizing the bar top.

"Here's your sherry." Izumo, who had snuck up while Reisi's attention was elsewhere, slid the glass across the bar to cover the few centimeters between his and his customer's end of it. As soon as Reisi looked up, he noticed the intense look in Izumo's eyes as the man seemed to try to nonverbally communicate something.

"Oh, I believe you dropped something," remarked the bartender casually, indicating a folded-up piece of paper lying on the ground by the Blue King's barstool. Not being dense enough to argue that he had not been carrying any note of the sort with him, Reisi nodded his thanks and bent to pick up the paper. He immediately noticed the handwritten words on it; he repressed a gasp. Inked onto the paper in handwriting that was stuck somewhere between lazy scraws and halfway elegant curls was the simple phrase "To Munakata", written by none other than Suoh Mikoto.

For a moment, Reisi let his mask of apathy crack as an irrepressible wave of nostalgia, pain, and stowed-away feelings overwhelmed him. Suoh's handwriting... No doubt about it. There's nobody else who writes like that. But... What is...? The King's thoughts were halted abruptly when Izumo gently tapped his shoulder. The blond nodded almost unnoticeably in the general direction of the old couch, and when Reisi glanced over his shoulder, he found Yata shooting cold stares his way. Reisi took this as his cue to leave. By this point, he was no longer interested in his initial goal of drinking and/or getting somewhat drunk anyway.

Initially he planned to head home before opening the letter, but the blue-haired captain quickly found himself growing too impatient. Uncharacteristically enough, he couldn't wait longer than the time it took to navigate from the bar's entrance to the neighboring alleyway that guaranteed peace and solitude.

With shaking fingers and a thumping heart, Reisi unfolded the sheet of paper and began to read.

To Munakata

By the time you read this, I'll probably be long dead. I know what my fate is, and I know that I can't escape it, so there's no point denying it. That's why I need you to read this at some point, because I don't know how much time I've got left. And if the opportunity doesn't present itself, well... Let's just say that there's a shit-ton of things I wanted to say to you.

First of all, I want to thank you. I know it doesn't sound like me, but I want to say thanks for taking me as your "prisoner" for so long. If it weren't for that I wouldn't have held on for as long as I did. That's not the only thing though; I have more to say. Thanks for talking to me, thanks for the moments, the memories, and the small chats; thanks for being there (as corny as it sounds), thanks for smoking with me when I was down, thanks for sharing your troubles with me sometimes, and in general, just... Thank you. I never said it in person, but Munakata, I appreciate the things you've done for me.

Next, I just wanted to comment on the strange relationship we've developed. Now and again I look at us and think "... What the fuck?", sure, but that's the point, in the end. Two rival kings- friends? It's odd... And yet it's the best friendship I've ever had. You're the only one who ever truly understood me. I'll never forget the way that you would spend hours just being there, being in my presence. We'd communicate silently, yet somehow we'd easily understand each other. I've never felt like that with someone else before.

I also want to congratulate you. If you're reading this, it means you spoke to Izumo in some way - probably by entering the HOMRA bar - which I know isn't normally like you. I'll have you know that I warned him not to go looking for you when I gave him this note; if he did, please hit him on the head in my name. Anyway... What I'm trying to say is that I'm happy to find that you've put our differences aside.

Last of all... I love you.

~ Suoh

When he finished reading the note, Munakata found it hard to blink back the rapidly-forming tears. He loved me...? Quickly rereading the letter, the man let out a shaky sigh that nearly gave way to a sob (Nearly; he caught himself in time). "I love you". That was it. No explanations, no details, nothing but the exact words that Suoh had wanted to say.

At that point Munakata felt himself give in to the tears, letting them roll down his cheeks while he remained completely silent. Everything - from the phrasing of that last sentence in particular, to the overall bluntness, to the handwriting, to the way he had signed off with only his first name - was all so obviously Suoh that Reisi was powerless to stop his own tears from falling. The irony of the whole situation was just too... Reisi couldn't find the words.

All this time, the Blue King had been in love with his Red counterpart. All this time, Munakata Reisi had let down his guard around only Suoh Mikoto, hoping to somehow encourage the already-obvious spark between them. All this time, Reisi had convinced himself into believing that his feelings were unrequited. And all this time, Suoh had loved him back.

Indeed, Reisi noted to himself, the irony is too overpowering, almost like some greater power is mocking the two of us.

The normally composed and collected Munakata Reisi thus found himself letting his guard down again for the first time in just over a year. He spent nearly an hour in that alleyway, silently letting the tears fall at the thought of the cruel turns fate had taken when it came to him and a certain Red King.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review, they make me happy~ (once again, no flames though)

I apologize for how angsty this is by the way, I swear I tried to write something funny and cheerful before uploading this one instead...