Hamsters and Heartbeats
Author's note: I've been quiet about something for a long time. A little something about me known as cardiophilia. The act of hearing another human heart has been a long-time fascination I've had and to a degree, become obsessed with. It's something I've always been shy about and a very closeted secret I wouldn't share due to sensitivity, but today I'm ready to take a risk and reveal the beauty I see of it to anyone who reads this story.
Side Note: I don't ship Gundham and Peko. This is just an opportunity for me to use both of them due to a couple headcanons I have on them. Please enjoy watching these two freakishly awesome characters interact, and prepare yourself for a serious loose end I'm tying up at the end.
Gundham was an odd person in many ways. He had several supernatural abilities and advantages most others lack. But one distinct ability that stands out is his ability to hear other people's hearts from a short distance of their presence. The ability to detect one's aura was one thing, but as anyone could imagine, the sound of their heartbeats was a clear signal of how much spirit he could detect from them.
However, unlike the other 14 students, Peko's heartbeat is silent to him. Her specific training required her to specialize in controlling her heart rate. No matter how close to her physically Gundham gets, the sound of Peko's life remains too disciplined for his advanced hearing.
One early morning around 4:00 A.M. Gundham wakes up and prepares to begin meditating. He always sleeps for five hours and then meditates for three each night. But he isn't alone in the four o'clock awakening hour. Peko would also sleep between 11:00 and 4:00 and then spend three hours at Jabberwock Park training for future combat encounters she should prepare for. Gundham watches her walk away and then decides his meditation can wait. Now could be the opportunity to learn about Peko he's never had prior.
"Devas." He says in a quiet voice. His four hamsters wake up and face him, Jum-P still laying down. "I'm going to be gone for a bit. If you warriors need anything, the window is open. Understood?" He asks as the hamsters nod. "Grand. I'll now make my way to Jabberwock Park and unveil the mystery of Peko's life source today!" He announces before stepping out of the cottage and closing the door. About ten minutes later, he made it to Jabberwock Park to see the swordswoman aiming her bamboo sword at a tree.
"Justice shall prevail. Justice won't concede." She then takes a swing with the sword, hitting the edge of the trunk and carefully stabilizing her body the moment the impact is made. "To those who oppose justice, you shall fall to the Kuzuryu Clan!" Then with a swift movement, she lunges forward and bounces off of the tree, springing her legs off of the trunk and flipping over. As she flips, the presence of another being strikes her eyes and demands her subconscious attention. She swiftly spins around and holds her sword out. "Foul criminal! Have at- Gundham?" Her sentence is cut off once she sees who it is. "What are you doing here this early?"
"What of you Peko? What motivation do you have to be present at Jabberwock Park at 4:00 A.M?" The dark warlock asks. Peko squints.
"I do this every morning. After five hours of sleep, I get up early and train myself in case Monokuma or any other evil force were to make any sinister moves on any of us." Her eyes glance to the side for a moment. "Especially Young Master."
"That too must be the will of causality," Gundham admits, glancing upward as well, then facing her again. "Though, your body will overwork pretty easily if you don't balance your active hours out with your silent ones." Peko rolls her eyes.
"My health isn't my concern. If Young Master were to fear my condition, I'd leave treatment to his choice." Gundham puts his hand to his eyebrows.
"If Fuyuhiko makes your decisions for you, then perhaps I should suggest meditation with him?" He asks. Peko's eyes widen and she prepares an active stance with her sword.
"How'd you know he was my Young Master? Did he tell you?" She asks in a defending manner with a threatening look. Gundham shoots her a light glare, making no attempt to withdraw his own weapon.
"The feelings Fuyuhiko has for you are not invisible. His vitality tends to reach a newer stage when he shares your presence, and unlike Teruteru, you show noticeable fondness around him as well." He states. Peko raises an eyebrow, somewhat confused.
"Vitality? What are you referring to?" She asks. Gundham then turns his body toward her, showing his attentiveness.
"This gets into my motivation for being here. I have advanced auditory senses, that of superiority over rabbits." He states. "The perpetual thumping sound of a mortal's heart is something I'm able to detect within their presence." Peko's eyes widen a bit more in surprise.
"Really? That's a pretty impressive ability." She says. Gundham nods.
"And I must now make a sincere request." He then opens his eyes. "For some odd reason, your heart remains inaudible to my ears. Could you clarify why that might be?" He asks. Peko shrugs lightly.
"If I had to guess, it's probably my warrior training. I've trained myself to keep my heart rate low and subtle so I can go places undetected." The breeder sighs lightly and nods.
"Likeliness of that is rather high." He states before making eye contact with her. "Now as for my request. You allow me to make direct contact with your heart so I'm able to get a general understanding of your source of life." The swordswoman's eyes widen a bit before she gives him a stern frown.
"Direct contact with my heart?" She asks. Gundham holds his hands out defensively.
"By direct contact, I don't mean impale you and literally feel your exposed heart." He then sets his hands down. "I merely request to hear it beating within your chest with your input." Peko shakes her head.
"Sorry Gundham, but I'll have to deny it. I doubt Young Master would approve of this." She states, causing the dark warlock to frown a bit harder.
"Fuyuhiko is asleep, and we both know both you and him would be pretty upset if I woke him up at this hour to ask him." Peko holds her sword out towards him.
"Well, then I guess you'll have to wait for Young Master to wake up before asking him!" She says fairly assertively. Gundham facepalms.
"Ask him what? It's your heart I'm requesting to hear, not his." He holds his arms out a bit. "It's not his consent I need in order to do that, it's yours!" Peko takes a step closer to him, giving him an intimidating glare.
"I'm not asking for you to do this Gundham. I don't give consent, I accept consent from Young Master. If you desire to listen to my heartbeat, I suggest you go over it with him when he wakes up." Gundham doesn't flinch or step back as she steps closer. He closes his eyes for a moment and concentrates, but even so, he hears no pulsation from her body.
"This is sad." He mumbles before crossing his arms and opening his eyes at her. "Even when you're up close and on the offense, your heart is still silent to me." The swordswoman keeps her sword outward toward him, raising an eyebrow.
"Then what's your plan? You want me to stand here and allow you to press your ear up to my chest?" Her eyebrows lower. "Do you understand how perverted that sounds?" Gundham sighs deeply.
"I understand in concept why you'd oppose it. But what I don't understand is your answer." He holds his head up, still folding his arms. "It sounds like the answer from you is no, but you'd somehow be completely fine with it if Fuyuhiko said it was acceptable." Peko continues to frown, keeping her sword out and distance between them.
"Why are you surprised? I vow to do Young Master's bidding, and if he were accepting of this, I'd be obliged to follow his request." Gundham's glare strikes her.
"But it's not his choice! It is yours!" Peko flinches at Gundham's sudden loud words, but keeps her ground rather than moving. "The inability to make your own decisions is one of the biggest weaknesses any mere human such as yourself could possibly have!" He then lowers his scarf a little. "Peko Pekoyama! I desire a better understanding of you, and you only! You are a human being with a human heart that I intend to make audible!" He puts a hand behind his back. "Now will you allow me to do that safely, or are we going to brawl over it?!" He challenges. Peko steps forward and takes a sudden swing at him, which he swiftly ducks and avoids.
"I've made my intentions quite clear with you. If words won't sway you, then perhaps pain will!" She then repositions with her sword. "Justice will be served to any force of evil!" Gundham makes no hesitation to grab his long thick staff from behind his scarf.
"If you so desire to bring justice, you must clash with the spirit of Hell!" He exclaims as he holds his staff out. Peko and Gundham stare into each other's eyes for a moment before the swordswoman speaks up.
"En Guard!" She exclaims, taking a swing at him, to which he blocks with the edge of his staff.
"I'm no mere mortal Peko, this isn't a fight where emerging victorious will be easy!" He warns. She takes another swing for his head, which he ducks and avoids.
"I'm used to battling foes taller and sometimes stronger than me." She states, swinging again as their weapons clash. "But they all tend to underestimate me." Gundham continues to glare.
"Even at your most active moment, your heart is still inaudible!" He asserts, sounding slightly agitated.
"That's a shame, it'd probably be easier for you to anticipate my actions!" She says, finally striking him on the side. The dark warrior grunts loudly.
"Oh really?!" He says before setting his staff firmly on the ground and vaulting his legs upward. He manages to kick Peko firmly on her right shoulder.
"Augh!" Peko grunts a bit louder at that blow, but keeps her footing and proceeds to swing at him. "You're pretty tough." She comments as she takes another swing. Gundham swiftly jumps up his staff and avoids the blow, flipping backward and landing on his feet as the sword knocks the staff off of its place.
"Tough is an understatement. It's not my body that's tough, it's my spirit." He then lunges forward and swings. Peko holds her sword outward and they clash. "A spirit that shall not fade for all eternity!" Peko's glare strengthens.
"It's a spirit that may very well meet eternal rest early at this rate!" She exclaims, nearly paralyzing Gundham's mindset through him flinching. She makes several swift slashes at him, but each one is blocked almost entirely casually by his sudden extreme reflexes. Gundham's eyes widen and he glares like never before.
"Is that a threat?" The dark warlock asks in a quiet voice. The swordswoman's eyebrows lower.
"I don't know. Let's find out." She says. She then takes another swing towards Gundham's head, but this one doesn't land the way she'd hoped. He swings the staff outward and redirects the momentum of where she was aiming. Peko nearly loses her balance as the sword swings around in her hands. "Whoa!" She spins around with it for a moment and sees a surprise when she regains her vision on him.
"Attack me, I dare you." Gundham says. A large dark circle is emitting a dark bluish aura around him. Peko clutches her bamboo sword and glares yet again.
"Your little mystical spell isn't going to intimidate me." She speaks. "Give into justice, Gundham!" She steps into the circle and lands a direct hit on his side, knocking him to the side.
"Augh!" The breeder does a small combat roll on the ground and regains his footing, he then turns to the swordswoman, who'd just been inflicted with a curse.
"What… is this?" She asks as her body moves slowly. Her sword feels much heavier than before and her muscles are starting to ache from her mere movements. She looks around at the ground and stares at the radiating aura in the circle she stands in.
"Nice try Peko, but the gravitational force a dark warlock holds may just be too much for your super-soldier willpower." He states, stepping closer to her. Peko grunts lightly and turns toward him, using a lot of effort to move.
"Justice will not be held down by gravity." She says as she steps out of the circle, regaining her speed. "Touché!" She swings at Gundham again, but he blocks her sword with little effort, countering with a heavy blow to her right shoulder. "Ouch!" She exclaims, aiding her shoulder with her left hand as she proceeds to hold her sword out with her right. "What have you done?" She asks, slightly worried at the potential threat he poses.
"It was an act of sacrifice." Gundham states. "I needed to accept a bit of pain to activate it, but it allowed the gravity spell to take effect. Now it requires more stamina to move than you had before." He then steps closer to her with his staff held out. "I've put you in check." Peko growls lightly under her breath.
"No!" She shouts as she swiftly steps forward and swings at him. With precise timing, Gundham leaps into the air and the sword completely swings below his body. When he lands, he uses his staff to block the rebound of the sword, grabbing Peko's wrist with his left hand.
"Foolish move you've made." He says, beginning to squeeze her wrist. It isn't long before she drops her sword.
"Dammit." She mumbles. She makes an attempt to kick Gundham, but it was in vain as he lifts his knee and hits her in the stomach. "MM!" Peko grunts as she's pushed onto the ground. The breeder grabs both ends of the staff and quickly leans over her, firmly holding the staff over her chest. "Oh! Ow." She reacts to the sudden pressure.
"Checkmate, you deranged fiend." He states. Peko makes an attempt to move, but his knee is holding her leg down and her shoulders are paralyzed in place by his staff.
"Gundham, please get off me." She says with noticeable discomfort in her voice. "You're crushing my chest." The dark warlock sighs deeply and gives her an intimidating glare.
"Then give me a concise answer. Even after you've been exhausted and immobilized, your heart is still silent to me. Do I have your consent to hear it, or not?" He asks. Peko winces a couple of times.
"Ask Young Master Fuyuhiko." She speaks. "OW!" He puts a bit more pressure on her after hearing that.
"It's not his choice Peko, it's yours! If the answer is no, then so be it! But I'm not here to accept a circumstantial no because you wish to consult your dark crime lord!" Peko closes her eyes, attempting to ignore the pain.
"I concede." She says in a surprisingly calm tone. Gundham pauses for a moment.
"Is that so?" He asks. Peko opens her eyes and gives him a sad look.
"Can you please get off me? I can't breathe very well like this." She requests with slight desperation in her voice. Gundham sighs again and steps back onto his feet, relieving her lungs as he removes the staff. She takes a deep breath and exhales as she stands back up. "Thank you." She says. Gundham nods once in a humble manner.
"I apologize for my uncivil behavior." He then opens his eyes and faces her. "But please understand I don't intend to make you uncomfortable. I merely wish to hear your heart purely so I can learn more about you." Peko sighs and glances to the side.
"There's not much to learn about me. I'm just Young Master's tool. I do whatever he says and through years of missions and assassinations, I've learned to ignore my emotions and purge my senses of humanity." She then faces him with a small glare, not to intimidate him, but to show him how she views herself. "I may have a heartbeat, but simply hearing it won't tell you much more about me than I've already stated." Gundham shrugs lightly.
"If that's how you view yourself, I'm not one to judge. I'm just a dark soul destined to rule Hell once my time on Earth is over." Peko raises an eyebrow at that. "But no matter, I've learned a lot about others through their hearts, and now I'm ready to find out what I can learn from you." He says, taking a step closer to her. The swordswoman sighs and picks up her bamboo sword, setting it back in the bag she wears on her back.
"Gundham, with all due respect, can we please do this later?" She asks. "My chest is a little sore from you holding me down and I'd like some time to recover before you set your ear to it." She states. Gundham pauses for a moment, but then he remembers something.
"You know, perhaps I can spare my ears the task and see if our classmate Mikan has one of those hearing tools most clinics have." He states. Peko flinches and raises an eyebrow.
"You mean a stethoscope?" She asks. The breeder chuckles heartily and points to her.
"Ha, ha! Yeah, that's it! A stethoscope would provide a much clearer solution to this otherwise discorded situation we face!" He says with more spirit. Peko sighs lightly. She was never fond of medical tools, and the one that touched her chest was clearly no exception.
"Do you have a plan to get it from her? Or should we just wait until she wakes up?" She asks, interested in hearing Gundham's answer.
"Why, my Four Dark Devas of Destruction can get it from her undetected!" He pulls his scarf over his mouth and gives her his egotistical look. "Wait here noble soldier, I shall return with more aid!" He then takes off and sprits across the bridge between islands. Peko sighs deeply and sits on the park bench.
"What have I gotten myself into?" She asks.
Minutes later, Gundham returns to his own cottage. He slides his hand under the window and calls for his hamsters. All four of them get up and crawl up his sleeve. He silently makes his way to Mikan's cottage and notices her window is open slightly as well, but not quite enough for Cham-P to fit through.
"Maga-Z, you're up!" He whispers firmly into the hamster's chipped ear. The little fellow gives him a quick thumbs up and then hops through the opening of the window. "San-D, into pursuit!"
"Mhm!" She squeaks as she drops her pecan in his hand and jumps through the window. Gundham taps the sleeping hamster and wakes him up.
"Jum-P, you too." He whispers softly. The sleepy hamster yawns and then dives into the room. The three hamsters scatter around on the floor and look for where Mikan keeps her tools. Gundham couldn't help but notice Mikan's heart was even slower than he's used to. Due to her paranoia and clumsiness, her heart was usually racing from embarrassment.
"Hm…" Cham-P mumbles as he looks around from the window. He suddenly spots a small gleam of moonlight off of a metal object. "Eiya!" He points at a drawer towards the back wall. A small metal pendulum-like item rests outside of it.
"Keen vision, Invading Black Dragon!" Gundham compliments before giving a slight whistle. "Devas, the chest piece to the miracle contraption is over there!" The three indoor hamsters look up to him and then face where he's pointing. Maga-Z climbs up the desk and then pulls the drawer open wider. He then jumps across and pulls on the chest piece, pulling the tubing down and the rest of the stethoscope with him. Suddenly, Mikan turns over.
"Huh?" The Devas run under the bed as the nurse lifts her head lightly. "Is someone there?" She asks softly. Gundham ducks under the window with Cham-P in his hand.
"It would seem our stealth wasn't on par with our estimated senses." He says. He suddenly hears a light rapid pounding, followed by an immediate loud voice.
"Ah! Who said that?! Who's there?!" Mikan screams fearfully. Gundham sighs and stands up, his face barely visible from darkness and his shadow casting largely in the room, covering most of the moonlight behind him.
"Gundham Tanaka." He says in his usual tone. Mikan's eyes widened and she sits back against the wall, shivering madly.
"Eek!" She pulls the blanket up to her mouth. "Please don't hurt me Gundham! Just take whatever you want and leave!" She says before closing her eyes and shivering more. Gundham sighs and snaps his fingers.
"Devas, reveal yourselves." He commands. The three hamsters crawl out from under the bed and go to the pink-tubed stethoscope lying on the floor. Mikan looks to the breeder nervously.
"You… want my stethoscope?" She asks nervously. Gundham nods and holds a hand out.
"Only for a little while." He reassures. "I intend to bring it back within an hour." He states as the other three hold the earpieces out toward the window. Gundham reaches in and grabs it, followed by the three hamsters as they leap onto his arm and crawl up his sleeve. Cham-P slides under his left sleeve.
"Okay." The nurse says, smiling timidly. "Just please be careful with it." She requests, laying back against her pillow. Gundham examines the instrument in his hands for a moment.
"Hm, pink tubing eh?" He mumbles. Mikan's frightened look comes back to her.
"I'm sorry. Is it too girly for you? I'll get a black one next time." She says apologetically. Gundham chuckles a few times.
"No need, it'll do perfectly. Pink is a beautiful color, and it really suits someone of your nature." He compliments. She starts to smile and blush a little.
"Oh… thank you." She says shyly. He nods and turns around.
"Rest well Mikan, your heart rate is a bit fast right now." He says before leaving. Mikan's eyes widen a bit and she puts a hand to her heart.
"How did he know that?" She asks herself with a terrified look.
Gundham returned to Jabberwock Park to see the swordswoman sitting on the bench. She's looking towards the ground and he can immediately tell she hasn't moved since he last saw her. He glances at the medical tool for a moment and then quietly steps up to her.
"I've returned, noble warrior." He says gently, catching her attention.
"Welcome back." She says lightly, the pink tubing catching her attention. "It's pink?" She asks. Gundham shrugs.
"Mikan was worried it was too girly, but that's all a matter of subjective opinion." He states as he sits next to her left. "I assumed you'd have been training while I was gone." He comments. Peko shrugs lightly.
"I got enough training in our little fight. It's actually the first fight I've ever lost." She says. Gundham notices she feels guilty to say that.
"Don't be down Peko, you're actually very strong. And all you can do is get stronger as you move on in your life." He states. She nods lightly.
"I suppose so." She says, they both glance at the stethoscope for a moment before the breeder lifts it up.
"Well, let's finally see what I can learn from your otherwise silent heartbeat." He says, putting the earpieces on. Peko turns to the side for a second, and then back to him.
"Gundham." She says, getting his attention.
"What is it?" He asks, turning towards her. Peko blushes a little upon seeing the headset on him.
"I just wanted to make one request." She begins, glancing to the side a little. "I'm not really fond of this sort of thing, and I really don't feel comfortable with you listening to my heart." She says. Gundham quickly grabs the earpieces with his fingers.
"Are you saying you don't want me to hear it?" He asks, prepared to take them out. Peko quickly holds her hand out in defense. She honestly couldn't believe he was willing to let her pass on this.
"No, no! You can listen to my heartbeat for as long as you'd like today." She assures, before closing her eyes. "My only request is that when you're done, we're both done. We'll never do this again." She then opens her eyes and makes eye contact with him. "Is that alright with you?" The dark warlock thinks for a moment and then nods once.
"That's a very fair and reasonable request." He then lifts up the chest piece. "I promise this will be the only time I ask this of you. I just want to see if I can learn anything from you by your heart sounds." Peko smiles softly upon hearing this.
"I appreciate it Gundham. You may begin listening when you're ready." She states. Gundham raises an eyebrow.
"Would you mind turning your body toward me a little?" He asks. Peko pauses for a moment and then nods as her smile fades and her serious face returns.
"My apology." She states as she slowly turns so her chest faces his direction. "Is that better?" She asks. The breeder nods twice.
"Indeed, it is." He affirms. "Now, just sit still and I'll try to finish quickly."
He sets the chest piece to her chest. Peko closes her eyes the moment contact is made and sits there silently. The sound of her strong and steady heartbeat instantly fills Gundham's auditory-sensitive ears. He closes his eyes immediately as well, just paying attention to the heavy thumping sound of Peko's valves opening and closing, pumping blood throughout her body. Though he'd never heard it before, it sounded so clear hearing it through the stethoscope. It was a very soothing sound, as he predicted. He continues to listen silently as Peko breathes lightly, waiting for her rate and frequency to change one way or another.
"Do you hear it?" Peko asks. "Is it pumping?" Gundham nods softly.
"It's a very healthy heartbeat Peko. It's not too fast, slow, loud, or soft. Each steady pulse is working effectively to throb on par sequentially with the one prior." The swordswoman's eyes widen for a moment, but then it turns into an attentive frown.
"You're pretty educated on heartbeats, huh?" She asks. The breeder shrugs lightly.
"I've had this ability for years. I'm pretty good at deciphering healthy hearts from the unhealthy ones." He states.
"I suppose so," Peko says, before sighing lightly. "Have you heard enough yet?" She asks. Gundham shakes his head lightly.
"You said this was my only chance, and it's also my decision when it's over. Correct?" Peko sighs again.
"I did say that." She admits, nodding lightly. Gundham smiles softly.
"Thank you. I promise I won't take much longer." He says, moving the chest piece to the side. Peko watches as he sets it back to another spot on her chest.
"Take your time." She says softly before turning to the side and closing her eyes softly.
She could feel her heart hitting the diaphragm, and the fact that Gundham was able to detect her every emotion through her heartbeat didn't make her comfortable. She wanted desperately for it to be over, so she could go back to having her heart undetected, not just from Gundham, but from everyone else as well. However, something unexpected happened. Something was placed in her left hand.
"What's this?" She asks quietly as she looks into her hand and finds a small pecan. She turns down to see San-D smiling up at her, and her attentive frown immediately fades. "Is this for me?" She whispers.
"Mhm." San-D nods cutely and then crawls onto her leg. The swordswoman stares at the adorable hamster as she softly hugs her leg.
"Thank you." She whispers and then eats the small nut. She wasn't really into nuts, but it was a nice friendly gesture from Gundham's hamster that she couldn't refuse. Suddenly another hamster crawls onto her other leg. "Hm?!" She flinches as she sees a large orange one standing there and waving up at her.
"Hehehe." Cham-P giggles a few times and then stares into her eyes. Without hesitation, he climbs up her body on the right side and then sits on top of her shoulder. Peko couldn't help but blush slightly as Cham-P softly snuggles up to the side of her neck.
"You're warm." She whispers lightly, getting a small squeak from him. She can't help but smile moments later. "It feels so nice." She says softly. She then notices Jum-P tugging on her finger. He gives her an eager look as she giggles lightly and lifts him up. "You wanted to join your brother?" She asks.
"Mhm." Jum-P squeaks cutely, laying his head against her fingers. She blushes a bit harder and giggles.
"Okay sweetie, you can." She says as she sets him on her left shoulder. Momentarily, Gundham speaks up.
"Peko, your heart is starting to beat faster and louder than before." He says with his eyes closed. "Has something come over you?" He asks. Peko smiles down at him and chuckles a few times.
"Probably just adrenaline. Maybe it'll slow down soon." She says.
"It very well maybe, just try to relax." He instructs. Peko nods once.
"I'll do my best." She says. Gundham then moves the chest piece a little lower, leaving the bell to rest up against her lower left breast. She couldn't help but blush a bit more as the discomforting feeling returns to her. "You guys are still here for me, right?" She whispers to the two hamsters on her shoulders. Cham-P nestles against her neck softly and Jum-P rolls onto his stomach, cuddling her further. Peko's reassuring smile returns as San-D crawls up her chest and sniffs below her neck. The swordswoman giggles a couple of times before seeing the final hamster.
"Yah!" Maga-Z jumps off of Gundham and gives her a bit of a glare. Peko's frown returns.
"I take it you're the childish one, aren't you?" She asks with an unamused look. Maga-Z leaps onto her chest, causing her to nearly flinch. Her glare returns as he steps up next to San-D with a dark look in his eyes.
"Eiya!" He squeaks daringly at her. Peko looks down at him and the two stare at each other with dark looks.
"Alright furball, you've caught me while vulnerable. If you have any action you desire to do, I suggest you do it before I get my sword back." She states with slight annoyance in her voice. Maga-Z crawls closer to Cham-P, Peko keeping her eyes on him without moving her head. "Whatever your intentions are, make your move." She dares quietly. The hamster with the chipped ear growls one more time before giggling a few times.
"Hehehe!" He laughs in self-amusement. Before Peko can react, he leans over her right cheek and gives her a smooch.
The swordswoman's eyes widen the moment she feels the kiss planted on her cheek. All her thoughts fade and all she can picture is a cozy environment with cute and cuddly hamsters all over her. This level of comfort is far beyond anything she'd ever imagined, and she has no desire to hide her emotions anymore either if that's even still possible at this point. Her heart rate spikes as she blushes deeply and a blissful smile appears on her face.
"Peko, your heart is really pulsating now!" Gundham exclaims as he opens his eyes and looks up to her. He pauses once he sees the loving look in her eyes.
"Gundham, I love your hamsters." She says softly. All four Devas of Destruction sigh happily and cuddle up to her cozily. The dark warlock smirks mischievously.
"I see their charms have overpowered your otherwise emotionless heart." He states. Peko would've been annoyed by that statement, but she was too happy to be bothered.
"I have to admit, I've never been able to pet such adorable creatures. Most cuddly creatures think I'm scary." Gundham smirks.
"They're foolish primitive creatures Peko. Never associate my sapient Devas of Destruction with them. They know you're nothing less than a beautiful woman with a strong heart to protect those she loves." Peko's heart skips a beat upon hearing this. She smiles at Gundham.
"Thank you Gundham." She says sincerely. The breeder nods and smiles back.
"You're welcome." He states as he removes the chest piece and earpieces. "Your heart sounds amazing. Far more than any mere tool would have." Peko chuckles.
"So, you say." She remarks, before noticing Gundham had flinched. "Gundham?" She asks lightly. The dark warlock closes his eyes as the sound of a new and familiar pulsation pounds in his brain.
"I don't believe it." He states, taking Peko's hand and resting a couple of fingers below her wrist. She raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"What is it?" It wasn't something he could've predicted. As he felt Peko's strong pulse pound smoothly against his fingers, he realized it matched the same sound echoing in his ears.
"Peko…" He sets the stethoscope to the side. "I can hear your heart beating." He says as he opens his eyes and smiles proudly. Peko smirks a bit and glances at each of the Devas.
"It's probably because you did such a good job with these little fellows." She snatches Maga-Z in her hand and gives him a daring grin. "They're such sweethearts." She says, planting a large kiss on Maga-Z's head, causing him to giggle a few times.
"Thank you," Gundham says, blushing a bit. "I didn't know you adored animals so much." He then gives her a proud look. "Well, since the Devas of Destruction adore you, you're welcome to spend time with them whenever you'd like." Peko scoops up each of them in her hands and stares at the four loving mammals.
"I would be honored." She then softly hugs all four of them. Gundham puts a hand on her shoulder and watches as she adores his little babies, finding delight in Peko's smile and now audible heart.
Author's note: Well there you have it. I never thought I'd publish anything relating to cardiophilia, but this was an idea I had, and found far too cute to keep to myself! I sure hope you enjoyed it! I also felt it was time to give Peko her time with the cute and cuddly animals she deserves, so I hope I hit that nail on the head as well! But you be the judge of that if you'd like to review.
Side Note: This author is not responsible for any potentially changed opinions or new ships some of you may have.