Resting
I lean back against the wall of the hideout, sighing heavily. Sheele leans into my side, arms wrapped around me and head tucked under my chin. The others have all stayed blessedly quiet about our near-constant displays of affection, and I'm eternally grateful for it. The Demon inside of me has been unusually quiet. Another thing I'm grateful for.
"It won't be this peaceful for long," Sheele says.
"I know," I sigh. "But I intend to enjoy it while it lasts. And I'm not the only one."
I glance out away from the hideout to where Mine and Tatsumi are sitting together, hand-in-hand and Mine leaning on his shoulder like the children they really should be allowed to be. It's easy to forget how young everyone in Night Raid is, aside from Najenda, due to our jobs.
"They're cute together," Sheele says. "I bet Akame's broken up about it, though, huh?"
"Probably," I nod, as Mine and Tatsumi kiss. "Come on. Let's head inside. There are other things we could be doing than watching Mine and Tatsumi kiss."
"Things like this?" Sheele asks, grinning as she turns into me and captures my lips, her tongue slipping into my mouth briefly before retreating.
"That's a good start," I smirk.
Sheele smiles and he head inside, making our way toward my room, which has honestly become closer to our room recently. As we're passing the common room, however, we pause, listening.
"This base...it feels so big and empty," Akame's saying, voice wavering as though she's about to cry. "I've never really been able...to get used to feeling like this. Alone."
I carefully peek inside, seeing Leone holding Akame to her chest, her face tucked into Akame's hair.
"If I were a man, I would wrap my arms around you and hold you," Leone says, giving Akame a smile that's so full of love and adoration that it borders on intimate as Akame stares at her, wide-eyed. "But at the very least, I can be together with you like this."
"No, I like you better this way," Akame smiles, tucking her face into Leone. "You're so warm."
"I swear to you, Akame, that for as long as I draw breath, you will never be alone," Leone vows. "I'll always be by your side." She leans down and presses a kiss into the top of Akame's head, smiling. "I'm not Tatsumi, but I promise to try to make you smile like he did, someday."
Akame smiles up at her, eyes watering. "You already do."
Leone returns the smile, but instead of kissing like I have a feeling they might, they instead simply return to holding each other. I roll my eyes and Sheele and I continue, Sheele giving me a questioning look.
"No, they just hugged," I sigh. "No sexy lesbian make out session, unfortunately."
Sheele snorts. "Darn. I'll have to work harder to make up for it."
I'm about to laugh, only to catch myself as we reach Lubbock's room and both freeze, hearing Najenda crying. We both carefully peak inside and see that Lubbock's awake, holding Najenda as she sobs happily into his chest. I smile and slip past the room, Sheele and I finally reaching our room. Within minutes, Leone shouts for us to quiet down, so I make it a point to make Sheele be louder, just to annoy her.
I sigh as I watch Akame. She's watching Tatsumi jealously, even while standing in Leone's arms, and with one hand reaching back behind her to rest on the back of Leone's head. I truly can't figure her out. She clearly loves Tatsumi, and yet she's, apparently, allowing Leone to think she's chosen to be in a relationship with Leone.
"So, do you want me to distract Mine today so you can snag Tatsumi?" Leone asks.
"You're sure you don't mind sharing?" Akame asks.
"The way I see it, if you steal him, that gives me a free pass to share him with you as much as sharing you with him," Leone smiles. "Right?"
Akame smiles, shaking her head, then twists around, kissing Leone. "I only need you to keep her busy for an hour."
Leone grins and nods. "Consider the mission already accepted."
With that, Leone steals another quick kiss before darting off to lure Mine away from Tatsumi. I raise an eyebrow, glancing at Sheele, who nods. We have nothing better to do than watch how it plays out. Najenda is currently spending all day with Lubbock, her now official boyfriend, and Chelsea is out on a scouting mission still. So, we're out of things to do, unless I want to be beaten black and blue by Sheele again, which I don't.
We follow Akame at a distance, careful not to be discovered, and prepare ourselves to eavesdrop on her and Tatsumi. Akame walks over to him, asking him on a walk. When he agrees, they head out into the woods, passing through them quickly before reaching a clearing and stopping. The clearing is a great choice, with rays of sunlight breaking through the trees and flowers scattered around it. It's beautiful.
"This place is amazing!" Tatsumi breathes, taking in the field as Akame turns to face him.
He turns to give her a questioning look, but it changes into surprise as she pulls him into a kiss. For a moment, he's too stunned to react. Then he's too stunned to stop himself as he returns the kiss. Then, finally, he pulls away, face already betraying his conflicted feelings. "What are-"
"I love you, Tatsumi," Akame interrupts. "I've been in love with you for a while. I'm not sure exactly when I fell for you, but I'm not sure it matters."
"I...I never thought you, of all people, would be interested in me," Tatsumi says, smiling slightly, though his eyes still look conflicted. "But...I'm with Mine, now."
"I know," Akame says. "And I don't want to hurt her by taking you away from her. I know how much that would hurt her."
Tatsumi catches the underlying meaning of that and winces in guilt. "I never meant to hurt you."
"I know," Akame smiles. "What if...you didn't have to choose one or the other of us?"
"You m-mean...b-be with...both of you?" Tatsumi asks hesitantly, obviously afraid of offending her and getting beaten up.
Akame nods.
"I...I don't...I've never really considered...something like that," Tatsumi says.
"Would it be something you'd be okay with?" Akame asks. "I wouldn't mind sharing you as long as I can still be with you."
Tatsumi clearly wants to agree, but he's also clearly worried. "Mine would kill me for suggesting that. And I'd hurt her. Badly."
"I'll ask her," Akame says. "It's my idea, so I'll ask her permission."
"You'd do that?" Tatsumi asks.
"I'd do anything for you," Akame says.
Tatsumi smiles and nods. "Please do, then."
Akame smiles and nods before suddenly looking unsure, shy even. "Can I...kiss you one more time? In case she refuses, and I can't do it again?"
Tatsumi hesitates before nodding. Akame kisses him almost desperately, her shaky breath, and the desperate gasp that follows it loud enough to reach where Sheele and I are hiding. Tatsumi looks a little overwhelmed and dazed, but he wraps his arms around Akame, returning the kiss. After almost thirty seconds, Akame's tongue slips into Tatsumi's mouth and I raise an eyebrow, wondering if kissing is really all Akame plans to do before asking Mine about sharing Tatsumi. However, after a few more seconds, Akame pulls away, both of them gasping and panting for breath. Tatsumi leans his forehead against hers and smiles slightly.
"Wow," he breathes.
"Sorry," Akame says sheepishly. "I lost control a little."
"It's alright," Tatsumi says. "You're a really good kisser."
Akame blushes scarlet, but smiles. After a moment, she steps back, wiping her eyes. "I'll go ask Mine. I hope she agrees."
"So do I," Tatsumi says, blushing slightly.
Akame's smile widens and grows more confident and she turns, walking back toward the base, Tatsumi following after taking a few moments to collect himself. Sheele and I follow them, and they split up at the door, Tatsumi heading to his room and Akame to the back where Leone is training with Mine. When Akame steps into view, both girls stop, Mine sensing that something's up and Leone wanting to hear if Akame succeeded or not.
"Mine, can I talk to you for a moment?" Akame asks.
"Sure," Mine nods. "What's up?"
"I'm in love with Tatsumi," Akame says, apparently not feeling like being delicate about it, or beating around the bush.
Mine bristles instantly, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not going to give him up so you can have him."
"That's not what I'm asking," Akame assures her. "I know how badly it would hurt you to do that, because feeling that when you and him got together is what allowed me to figure out my own feelings for him."
"If you're not asking me to let you have him, what are you telling me for?" Mine asks.
"I'm not asking for you to give him up," Akame says. "I'm asking if you'd be willing to share him."
"Excuse me!?" Mine shrieks. "Why the hell would I do that!?"
"Because you can understand my feelings too, can't you?" Akame asks. "You realized how I felt about him before I did, and you were so afraid of what would happen if I realized it and claimed him that you made a move first, right? So then, you must know how I feel right now. I don't want you to have to let him go, or suffer with not being able to be with him. But..." she sniffs, tears falling down her cheeks. "But I don't know if I can handle not being able to be with him. I don't think I can live without him."
"I thought you and Leone are together," Mine says.
"We are," Leone says. "But her heart belongs to Tatsumi. I'm just renting a room."
Mine stares at the ground in silence for a long minute before sighing heavily, raising her hands to press the heels of her hands into her forehead, hands curled into fists. "You'll kill yourself, won't you? You'll kill yourself if I refuse?"
"No," Akame says. "But I'll leave once the war's over. I can't be around him but not be able to show my feelings for him."
Mine grits her teeth, eyes watering. "Okay. Okay. I'll do it. I'll let you be with him too, because I do know how you feel. But I have conditions. I get to be with him first. He was mine first, so it's only fair. After that, we can trade off. I'll have him for one week, then you can have him for the next. And I don't want you to be making out with him or anything with me in the room. I don't think I'd be able to handle seeing that."
"Okay," Akame nods. "I can agree to those terms."
Mine nods, wiping her eyes. "Okay. I'll...go tell him."
"One more thing," Akame says, Mine looking over at her. "I'm not going to break up with Leone either, so Leone and I will probably share Tatsumi during my weeks."
Mine sighs heavily. "I kind of figured that'd be the case."
Then, she walks into the base. Leone walks over to Akame, smiling, and hugs her.
"I'm so happy for you!" Leone smiles.
"You were wrong," Akame says, pulling back to look up at Leone.
"What?" Leone asks.
"You're not just renting a room in my heart," Akame says. "I love you, Leone. Yes, I love Tatsumi more than anyone else, but I really do love you, too. Part of my heart belongs to you."
Leone's eyes water and she smiles, kissing Akame passionately, Akame returning the kiss in kind. I smile, stepping away from the window Sheele and I have been watching through and find that Sheele's absolutely glowing with joy for her friends.
"So, I guess Akame just got herself, and by extension Tatsumi, a harem," I muse, walking past her.
"I guess so," Sheele nods. "So, what are we going to do now?"
"I'm thinking sparring with Suu," I decide. "And Chelsea should be back soon, so she can join us when she gets here."
Sheele nods and we grab our weapons, heading downstairs to find Suu, ignoring the fact that Lubbock's door is wide open and his and Najenda's clothes are scattered over the floor currently.
Leave a review.
