the ties that bind

Muraki doesn't want to lose his doll yet. He doesn't want the boy to fall into sleep, to finally say goodbye to this world, to choose forgetfulness and forsake revenge.

So in the dream, Hisoka feels the petals cling to his feet as he walks, feels the night air cold against his skin. Air is cold, flesh is warm; blood is warm, but the moon is cold for all its redness, the steel is cold for all its brightness.

When he wakes up and clings to Tsuzuki's warmth, he never once thinks of the dream as a gift to him.

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