Spades vs. Hearts
Chapter Three
Mukuro sniffled and hit his head on Byakuran's shoulder, and the younger man grinned widely. "You're such a player, Mukuro-sensei," breathed the voice against Mukuro's ear.
"Mukuro?"
The teacher looked back to where he'd heard the voice, and blushed dark red when Byakuran released him.
Fran was standing there, looking heartbroken.
"F-Fran," Mukuro said, "This isn't what you think-"
"Yeah, it better not be!" Fran replied, walking up to the teacher and pushing him aside, before turning on Byakuran. "I knew you were after my man!"
"You're man?" Byakuran hummed. "He hugged me!"
"Y-you lie!" Mukuro protested. "You practically glomped me!"
"Okay, Mukuro, no teen talk for you, it doesn't work," Fran said to the older. "I told you to back off, didn't I? Didn't I threaten to puncture your nose with a thumbtack if you ever got close to my pineapple fruitcake?"
Byakuran's grin only widened. "You've got some serious problems Fran. Bein' gay isn't one of them, though."
"Why you..." Fran held his hand out, formed like a gun, and shouted, "BLAM!"
The fast and loud movement sent Byakuran into a momentary state of shock, and Fran took the opportunity to grab Mukuro's arm and dash into the forest. He pulled the older man through the trees, then tried to leap over a creek with him, but Mukuro immediately missed the step and fell down into the creek with a tiny yelp of suprise. Fran paused, then turned, and leapt into the creek beside his former teacher, who was now both miserable AND soaked. The older man closed his eyes, trying to fight back the tears, but then the words crossed his mind again.
'He loves my father.'
Mukuro had gotten over his rejection only when he had accepted Fran into his life, and then, just a year after that had happened, something big had to be added to the mixture. Mukuro's depression returned in a flash, and he was unsure whether he'd ever get over it now. Fran was a good kid- a real friendly child once he was known, but... sometimes, he wasn't enough. He wasn't the kind of man that Mukuro could seek comfort from. He was the boy who he had to give comfort to.
But Fran was fast to overrule that theory.
"How did it happen that you ended up getting yourself on Byakuran's hug-list?" Fran asked quietly.
"My father...," Mukuro answered, sounding weak and his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. "My father... and... Hibari..."
He figured that Fran wouldn't be able to understand. He thought that a mere child couldn't understand the pain of having your first love stolen. But, once again, Fran will be Fran. "Sensei... I'm sorry. Lancia told me, but I never wanted you to know... I knew this would happen. I always dreaded the day that my poor sensei would be leaf-broken."
"Heartbroken, actually," Mukuro said bitterly.
"That's the point," Fran said, cupping the teacher's cheeks and forcing him to look up. "What's my name?"
"Uhh... Fran?"
"You should NOT have to think about that," the younger said seriously.
"Well, I was just wondering why you were asking me what your-"
"When's my birthday?" Fran asked.
"Ah... I don't know..."
"Yours is June ninth. What's my father's first name?"
"Uh-"
"Yours is Spade. Is teal my hair color natural?"
"Er-"
"Yes! I told you this, and you should know that anyway. Yours is dyed. What's my blood type?"
"Fran, you don't know my blood type!"
"No, but I do know this: you're a doner. About seven times. Donating blood makes you feel like your doing something for the world. Something other than teaching kids stuff they never use in life!" Mukuro stared at his boyfriend, who then whispered, "Do you... love me, sensei?"
"Fran, of course I-"
"Stop," Fran said. "Before you say anything, consider the questions I just asked. Now think about this. Do you love me? Or do you love yourself for tricking yourself into thinking you love me? Am I a replacement for your former principal? Do I have any real value to you? Would you come to my funeral if I died?"
Mukuro stared, shocked at the other for asking such questions. But when he thought about it, he realized that three of five of those questions he had answered as a no. And not the good three. "Fran... I... I don't know what to say," Mukuro breathed, looking up into the other's eyes. Fran trembled, and turned his gaze away from the mismatched one.
"How about 'sorry?'" he murmured.
"Fran, listen, I...," Mukuro trailed off. He didn't want to lie anymore- not to Fran, nor himself. Did he love Fran? No. Was he unusually proud of himself for going out with Fran? Yes. Was Fran replacing Hibari? Yes. Did Fran have any real value to him? No. Would he come to Fran's funeral? Probably not, unless his grandmother begged for him to come. "I'm... a real messed up bastard, okay?" he murmured. "I'm selfish... and don't realize when I've taken my desires too far. I can't see my own illusions."
"... You need to dry off," Fran whispered, wiping at his eyes, even though they were only starting to get teary. "Come on... the house... is just a few meters from here..."
Mukuro bit his lip, feeling awkward as his former student turned away from him and quivered, clearly about to cry. He knew that touching Fran at this point would only make it worse; he'd already hurt the other much more than he should've by leading him on. "Fran... I shouldn't go with you," Mukuro murmured. "I don't want to make it worse."
"Se-sensei...," Fran stuttered, and Mukuro could see the tips of Fran's left hand fingers gripping his right arm as he tightly embraced himself. "You have no idea how much I love you... ever since the first day... the very first day...! Always... no one but you!"
"Fran..."
"You're a beautiful, romantic, intellectual, masculine, pleasant guy, Mukuro... and I'm sorry that I wasn't enough for you..."
Mukuro could feel his heart get wrenched in a knot as Fran stood, and took off, his face crimson, and an arm over his eyes. The teacher didn't feel anything for Fran, however, and that was what inspired the negative emotions. That he wasn't guilty. That he didn't pity Fran.
"I'm... as bad as he said I'd be," Mukuro realized.
Flashback...
"Mukuro Rokudo, I've killed your mother," Daemon said, his fingers laced together as he rested his head upon them. "Do you have anything to say about this?"
"Yeah. Why?" Mukuro asked, walking over and sitting down. "Why did you kill her? Why did you kill the woman you loved?"
Daemon Spade laughed deeply. "Nufufufu! Well first of all, Mukuro, I didn't love her. She was an annoying woman! Besides, I was merely using her. I'm gay, son, I wouldn't love a woman. Moreover, love is for fools! If you ever find yourself believing you're in love, you'll just hurt people. That's all love can bring in this world- pain."
"You're a heartless man. I hate you," Mukuro mumbled, burying his head in his folded arms.
"Nufufu! That's good. Hate me. Hate yourself. Hate others. Because an ounce of love will destroy the best men of the world."
End Flashback.
"Just like he said... I've only brought Fran pain by leading him on," Mukuro murmured. "... I finally built up such a great life... but...
"It's all crashing down now."
-End Chapter
Ah, the drama!
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