Read the notes after the chapter later XD
I own nothing apart from Gin and Keiichi.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ Fitting day∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
"Is this okay, sir? Not too tight?"
"This is comfortable; I don't think it should be any tighter." Zero forced a polite answer to the old tailor who was pinning countless needles and pins in the fabric surrounding his body.
"Rental or ready-made would have done the trick, why all this hassle?" The silverette grunted when the old man left to bring more things from his atelier.
"Being affiliated with the royal family now, Ruka and the others might faint if we showed up wearing the run of the mills tuxedos. I also think it is Yuki's idea to prevent you from showing up in a sloppy appearance like you always do." Ichiru explained while examining the exquisite dark grey fabric and the slightly shimmery silver tint discreetly weaved through it.
"Well… Excuse me for not standing a tie suffocating me or that stupid bow." Zero griped. His stomach was literally churning. A loud growl erupted from it that made Ichiru almost double over from laughing.
"Nii-san… What is with the party going on in there, we just had lunch."
Zero glared his way, not amused in the least, "Beats me! It seems as if I am getting ready to hibernate lately, all I do is eat and sleep if I do not have work to do. It is seriously annoying."
Ichiru was surprised, knowing how little sleep Zero used to survive with, "That is indeed surprising! So you were not fooling around when you ditched me the other day?"
Zero exhaled, poking his abdomen as if it would stop the embarrassing sound. "Yeah~ I actually got ready and thought of lying on the couch until you reach the bar and call me. I did not expect myself to sleep until the next day, seriously."
Ichiru gave a hilarious laugh that earned him a prickle of a pin.
Zero's eyes flickered for a moment at the faint scent of blood before scowling, "It is changing, again."
Ichiru gave him a questioning look while making sure that nothing was stained,
"The scent of your blood." Zero added
"Oh!" Ichiru pondered before adding, "Not only that… I am not aging at all…" Ichiru pointed, "We went through some albums and Hanabusa noticed it when I was joking about being old and wrinkly while he would look like a teenagers when age catches up to me."
Zero observed their reflection on the mirror and hummed, "Yeah… We do look identical."
"And you certainly look at least five years younger that your age."
They shared the same inner though, what a fearsome blood Hanabusa has.
"It might be your hunter's gene kicking in." Zero suggested.
"No idea! If anything I felt much better ever since you… you know… took your missing part from me."
Zero fell silent for a moment trying to chase away the dark memory of almost killing his brother.
"But you know! Nii-san…" Ichiru chirped, "It is not only that… I feel like I am getting stronger… My health have never been better… Even compared to when I was drinking pureblood… I guess that is the power of love for you." He beamed.
"Geeh!" Zero gave a mocking sound that Ichiru felt like smacking if not for the risk of ruining the hard work of the tailor.
"Come to think of it, I never asked how the two of you came to be together." The older twin realized that he spend most of his time opposing Ichiru's relationship.
Ichiru hummed a bit before giving a wide grin, "A strawberry sundae."
"Hah?" Zero did not get the meaning of the answer.
"I was moping and being depressed after you left to study abroad and he could not take the dark mood. He took me out for a strawberry sundae saying that he had no one keeping him company. Come to think of it, that might have been our first date if I realized his feelings for me back then." Ichiru's cheeks tinted pink at the memory. Zero sighed and shook his head at the dreamy look on his brother's eyes. Ichiru had hard time snapping from his daze even when the tailor came back to resume his work.
Half an hour later, the twins were dressed back in their casual clothing and leaving the store. "Your order will be ready on time."
They thanked the elderly and headed to the parking. A big yawn earned Zero another tease from his twin. He threw his keys to Ichiru while getting on the passenger seat, "You drive unless you want to die young and pretty."
"You better get yourself checked out on this Nii-san…" Ichiru suggested. All jokes aside, he was starting to worry about how lethargic Zero was acting lately. It was as if the hunter lost his spunk all of sudden.
"Will do." Zero dismissed him. He stared out of the window as the scenery started sliding at a faster pace, his mind twirled about the possible scenarios that might happen during the little time he had to spend at the Academy. Many 'what ifs' that can be summarized in a simple question, "What should I do when I come across him."
Luckily, Zero found Yuki by herself with the girls. She was too busy with the preparation that she only had a chance to ask about the fitting before Ruka dragged her to fix her hair while complaining. He felt the tenseness leave his body when he heard that Kaname was out of town for business. Therefore, he went to pester the stand-in headmaster, Kaito while Ichiru disappeared to go see his lover.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ hours later ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
Gin finished his classes and decided to swing by Cross's house after Kaito sent him a message to hang out. He found the door unlocked as usual and announced his presence before stepping in. A lesson he learned when he got the shock of his life walking on Kaito and Takuma kissing in the kitchen, half-naked. The shock was so real he was dazed for few days and unable to meet his friend's eyes. Despite being open-minded and cool about many things, a situation like that brought out the shyness in the grey-eyed man.
He frowned when no answer came. He took careful steps before a smile drew on his lips when he found his favorite person splayed on the couch with the cover hanging from his toe to the floor. The sight was even more endearing with the red head child tucked between him and the back of the couch while his small hand hugged Zero's neck. An inner squeal resonated in his head and the overload of cuteness.
"You look like a pervert with that grin on your face, dude!" The gruff tone of a smoking Kaito snapped his head in direction of the kitchen where the hunter came from.
"Hello to you!" Gin grinned wider.
"Look at that," Kaito complained, "He tells me to call everyone and hangout a bit before he had to go back and fall asleep barely five minutes after."
Gin chuckled at that, "He must be tired… He did say that his workload increased lately because his associate took some time off all of a sudden."
"Well informed, aren't we?" Kaito gave the other male a joking punch in the shoulder before proceeding to pinch Zero's nose. The hunter reflexively opened his mouth to breath but Kaito covered it soon after. Lavender-colored eyes shot open, and Kaito jumped away just in time before Zero grabbed and threw him across the room. The hunter was about to bolt after him if he did not remember that Keiichi was stuck to him like a Koala.
"Will grow up already…" Zero snorted while adjusting the child on his lap as he sat straight on the couch. Gin joined him, patting the silver hair sticking out in all direction.
"He is very attached to you." Gin pointed to the sleeping child clutching Zero's hand.
Zero sighed, "He just finds me tasty. I am drained enough as it is, but he has no qualm absorbing energy from me."
"Why did she leave him with you in the first place?" Kaito grumbled because having the kid around would make it difficult to let loose and enjoy the evening, as much as he liked Keiichi.
Zero rubbed his eyes, and then carefully placed Kei-chan on the couch, covering him, "It seems that she is having some difference of opinion with the mother-in-law about how to raise him. She is keeping him with her all the time lately in fear that Shiki's mother might overpass her boundaries. I am not sure about the details though."
"Oh!" Kaito looked as if he remembered something, "That might be about the bullying."
Zero stopped on his tracks before reaching the bathroom, glancing over his shoulder, "What?"
Taking a long puff of his cigarette, "Takuma was complaining about it as well after coming back from a party, it seems his grandmother was turning a blind eye when other older kids were pestering him. Something about his powers not awakening yet made him an easy prey for the degrading comments from children and adults alike. The Shiki's are starting to get stressed out to the point that they might not take him to any parties anymore because the last thing they wished for is to see their son hurt."
The cause for his stunted growth is…
Zero gripped the doorframe and pursed his lips at the memory of what Kaname told him about Keiichi, "They seriously are no better than animals in the wild. The surviving of the fittest." He grumbled before proceeding to wash his face.
The rest of the evening was pleasantly spent after Ichiru and Hanabusa joined them, except for the fact that Ichiru decided to stay over which ticked Zero off since he was waiting for him.
"All right then, I think I should go to be there on time." Gin announced while standing up.
"It's time already?" Kaito looked at his watch.
The others were a bit lost and the curious Ichiru had to ask, "Is something going on?"
"I am meeting some real estate agents for viewing in town."
"Oh!" most of them exclaimed in understanding, and Zero groaned at that, "Viewing and dealing with their sale pitch is the worst."
Ichiru laughed at that when he remembered how his brother almost punched an agent for insisting too much on buying a condominium right away. Nii-san has always been black and white, if he likes it he takes it, if not, move heaven to earth and he will not change his mind.
"That sucks." Kaito complained, "Fine! I will try to get this guy to stay over so that we can go eat out later at the new Mexican restaurant." He suggested looking at Zero, "Takuma should be back by then as well."
Gin was the only one not to miss the twitch of Zero's hand, "Okay then, I will try to come back as soon as possible. Wish me luck guys, I seriously do not want to reach the bar of twenty houses viewing before finding a good catch." He spoke as he left, exasperation obvious in his voice.
He barely made it out of the house before Zero caught up to him and grabbed his arm, "How are you planning to get there?"
Gin gave him a confused look, and then waved his phone "I called a cab earlier. It should be here any minute."
"Cancel it, I am coming with you." The ordering voice caught Gin off-guard, but he soon came down from whatever happiness he was about to feel when he realized the reason for the tag along. Takuma coming back means that Kuran is coming back as well.
Gin nodded and followed Zero back inside for the hunter to fetch his car keys. The teacher took Ichiru's advice on driving instead of Zero even if the hunter deemed it unnecessary.
Just as they were about to exit the campus's gate, a sleek black Jaguar drove in, with both vehicles turning around the fountain in opposite direction, Zero caught a glimpse of the pureblood reading through some papers in hand before his heart stopped when garnet orbs met his. He quickly averted their surprised gaze.
From the corner of his eyes, Gin noticed the way Zero clutched his own arm. He gripped the steering wheel and let out a long sigh.
The grey-eyed human was pleasantly surprised by the proactivity that Zero was exhibiting in the assessment of the houses. On their way to the third viewing after the hunter blew off the two nagging agents, Gin was feeling that he might manage to find a good deal with an aggressive businessperson by his side. He enjoyed seeing a new side of the silverette.
After a long yawn, Zero's curious tone filled the silence of the humming vehicle, "I am wondering though. We checked a five bedrooms apartment in downtown with the greatest view a high-rise could give, A two story villa with a swimming-pool, and a huge ass loft. Do you really need that much space?"
Gin shrugged as he turned the curb, "This might make me sound like a rich young master, but I have been living in spacious houses all my life thanks to my family, which make it stressful for me to be cooped up in a small space. Living in the faculty dorms, as comfortable as it might be, is getting suffocating and I really need to spread my wings. Besides, I do need a lot of space if I am to move whatever is in the old house I am selling to get this new one. Moreover, considering that my sister might move in with her daughter and that I would probably settle down there as well, I guess it is obvious as to why I am aiming for the big boys."
"Hmm… I wonder what kind of house this not so young rich master used to live in." Zero bit with sarcasm.
Gin pulled out his phone and threw it to Zero in order for the hunter to see the pictures. "I took several for the buyers to see."
"HOLY SHIT! Why do I feel poor all of a sudden?" The remark sent Gin in a fit of laughter while Zero swiped one picture after the other. The three story house was nothing short of amazing, combining modern architecture with antique interior in some rooms as well as modernized space. A perfect balance to give a walk down the lane of time. The underground parking caught Zero's attention when he saw a couple of cars next to the bike he rode on with Gin.
"Don't you have cars here?"
Gin looked quickly at the pictures before concentrating on the road, "Those are old pictures, I was planning on selling the house to pay the hospital fees of my brother-in-law and my sister later, but selling the cars covered it all. I did not have a job back then, and things were not looking good."
"Oh… Hey Hina-chan's room is soo cute." Zero could not believed that he actually squealed, but it was worth it because the room truly spoke of a place for a true princess with the pink decoration, frills and exquisite canopy.
Gin paused a bit and answered, "Yeah… Her father went all out when he learned that they were expecting a girl."
"Gin." Zero's grave tone startled the grey eyed man, "Please don't tell me that this is a pool on the rooftop."
He winced, "Yeah… That was my father's doing. He thought it would be better there so that he can lock it and not worry about us kids drowning before we learned how to swim properly. It was my clumsy sister who worried him the most."
Zero huffed in exasperation, "What kind of rich father and insane childhood did you have?" He started to see where the chilled and relaxed attitude of the older man was coming from.
"Let's say… That as humble as my mother had been, she had a knack for attracting filthy rich men without meaning to."
Zero snorted, "I mean it." Gin gave a serious emphasis, "She could care less about the material things. A reason why she was unhappy with her first husband, who left her a mansion four times bigger that that one in Australia. However, the second husband was, despite being rich and powerful, a true family man and cared for us deeply."
Zero hummed in approval. He did not miss the fact that Gin referred to his father as the first husband, so he did not bother asking about the man any further.
"And here they say that mostly vampires could lead such a life of luxury."
Gin gave a dry laugh before pulling out in front of the next house that screamed of family life.
It was obvious from the nervousness of the agent that she was a newbie. The woman was turning tomato red with each question, unable to stop staring at the two gorgeous creatures in front of her. She kept thinking about how unfair life can be because she assumed that Zero and Gin were a couple.
Midway through the viewing, she excused herself to take a phone call. Zero promptly noticed the nervous way she was talking and he could gather that she was in trouble of double booking two clients at the same time but in different locations. He glanced at Gin, "Do you have other viewing after this?"
The taller looked puzzled before giving a negative answer. Zero tapped on the small shoulder of the flustered female. She put the call on hold and gave him a scared look, dreading another mishap. "If it is okay with you, we can look around the house and call you later for a follow up. That way, you can head to the other client and not get in trouble with the office, right?"
Gin smiled at the soothing voice that the hunter used and the way the woman's eyes sparkled with happy tears as if an angel descended and saved her. She bowed many time that Zero swore that he would have passed out from dizziness in her place. They both chuckled at the sound of screeching tires from the haste of the woman driving her car.
"Such a kind soul you are, Zero-sama…" Gin saccharine tone ticked the hunter off for some reason and he scowled at him. A Deja-vu sensation prickled his mind for a second.
"She would have gotten fired for such a mistake no matter how earnest she might be. You would have done the same if you paid attention instead of gawking at the garden outside."
"Hai~ hai… But still, this deal seemed fishy when I saw the ad and I am getting more intrigued after seeing the actual thing. I really thought the pictures were fake when I saw the price for it, but I guess there was no fraud."
"It is still overpriced. There is a lot of maintenance to be done if you are planning on taking it." Zero pointed to the condition of the floor and the sanitary part of the house. As luxurious as it may seem, parts of it were being damaged because it was abandoned for a long time.
Gin stared at him while Zero busied himself checking the window frames, a huge grin drew on his lips when he remembered something, "I wonder why you referred to us as a couple when talking to her earlier."
Zero rolled his eyes, "It is obvious that she was misunderstanding and it was a pain to explain, so I just went along with."
Gin wrapped his arm around his shoulders from the back, smothering the smaller man in a bear hug. "So… Husband-to-be, don't you think that this place is quite warm and cozy, not to mention having a lot of rooms and space to spare. The garden is awesome; I can already imagine planting trees on the edges and build an awesome playground for the kids."
Zero pinched his arms at the 'husband-to-be', but listened nonetheless. He snorted, "Make sure to hire a couple of maids if you do not want her to become one."
"Who?" Gin asked.
"The woman who will be unfortunate enough to marry you and have your children." Zero deadpanned.
Gin slumped, putting his weight on the hunter, "You really are cruel after all. Here I am imagining what it would be like for us to have a family and you go and shoot it down in cold blood."
"Mission accomplished then." Zero bit back, "What is with playgrounds, kids and bullshit? Just because I am able to, do not assume that I will happily have them. I wish everyone could get off that case already. I am done here, if you are still going to look around, I will go wait in the car."
It was a comical sight to see an angry Zero move with difficulty with a whining Gin being dragged while hugging his midsection. The exasperated hunter stopped close to the kitchen island after numerous apologies and begging.
"Fine, no kids! Pets, how about a dog, a cat…" Gin tried to lighten up the mood. He never realized that Zero would be bothered about the issue that he brought up half-seriously, half-jokingly.
Zero smirked at the suggestion, "I might think about it if you get me a horse."
Gin paled at that and his shoulders slumped dramatically, "Zero~ No matter how well-off I might be compared to others in my position, I do not think I can afford enough land to build an enclosure for White Lily to roam free with her foal."
Zero was taken aback when he saw how serious Gin looked before breaking in a fit of giggles, clutching his stomach. "Idiot! That was a joke obviously. What are you getting all serious about?"
"Can you blame me? I would do anything that might have you think about me more seriously." Gin answered with humor but his eyes were speaking of firm resolve that made Zero clam up.
The tense serious mood annoyed him and brought unwanted thought in the hunter's head, "Why are you so serious about me anyways?" He mumbled while scratching the back of his head.
Putting his hand lazily in his jean's back pockets, He answered, "Because I love you."
"Quit-"
"I am not joking around if that is what you were going to say."
Zero fixed Gin with a steady look before asking, again, "What is there to love about me, anyways?"
The grey-eyed male was surprised by the question and took a minute to think about a careful but sincere answer, "There are too many things, but if I had to choose, I would say that your earnest strike is what made me fall."
Zero tilted his head in confusion, "What the heck does that mean?"
Gin sighed, "You give off a lazy and laid-back impression, but you are very different once others get to know you. You are active, assertive and earnest about everything, your job, your business, your family, your life."
Zero took the time to think about it, and then shook his head. "That does not make sense. Apart from stubborn, selfish, gloomy, lunatic, I had no one pointing such a thing about me. It is scary how falling in love can make delusional."
Gin could not help but laugh at the statement while approaching the hunter, "Let us say that I am a good judge of character. If others never noticed it, it is their loss. I can make you discover things that you might not be aware of yourself."
Zero leaned against the kitchen counter, amused by the bold statement, "Amuse-me."
Gin took the dare and started counting on his fingers, "For starter, you are a coward."
Zero jolted at the remark and scowled at the smirking man.
"Don't get pissed yet. Hear me out! I am saying that because you do not have the courage of facing your true desires and act on them."
Zero snorted at that, "Oh! I do face them and indulge to the point of insanity." The naughty glint in his eyes explained what he meant by that.
Gin shook his head, "Nope! The notorious hunter called Kiryuu Zero, the successful businessman that set up his company at a very young age, the siren that could enchant any man with a single look; Those are all part of you, but none of them can be the real you." He paused to make sure that he got the attention of the silverette. "It is true that your brother gave snippets about your current life and other details, but this has nothing to do with it. Since the first few weeks I got to know you, I saw a child that had seen too much sadness that he forgot how to be happy, scared of being loved, but he cannot help but hate being lonely."
Zero was shaken by how the observation struck him like a lighting, he felt uncomfortable, as if he was stripped naked for Gin's eyes to look into his very soul, but he did not let is show. Instead, he adopted a sarcastic attitude, some sort of defense mechanism that the hunter was not aware of.
"Heeeh… Quite the deep observation there… I almost believed you."
Gin gave him a knowing smile that irritated him.
Zero felt the need to crush his confidence by walking up to him, "Are you saying that you know how to make me feel loved, teach me how to be happy and erase the sadness." His hand slid from a muscle arm, to wide shoulder, to firm neck but was stopped when Gin grabbed it.
"If you allow me, yes."
Zero scoffed and pushed him slightly, "Says the man who would not even touch me, let alone react to my grinding the other day. Spare me!" Zero jumped on the kitchen counter and swinging his legs, giving Gin a challenging look.
With a predatory look, Gin approached and paused in between his legs, keeping his hands on either side of the hunter, on the cold marble counter.
"Remember what I told you when I came to introduce myself as a teacher?"
Zero pondered for too long, meaning that he forgot.
Gin sighed and answered his own question, "When you turned aggressive to the thought that I might harass you, I told you one thing. 'If you called me back after that night, I would have taken you right here, right now…" He did not have to finish since Zero made a sign that the memory clicked.
"I am not one to go for casual, no string attached relationship, Zero." the addressed person was about to crack another joke but he went on, "That was my first time picking up a one-night stand. It might have been love at first sight after all. Although, I personally do not believe in such a thing."
"That still does not answer my question." Zero griped
"The possibility that you might toss me aside after sleeping with me like the first time terrified me greatly. I get turned off by the simple idea that you are just using me as a temporary comfort when I want to give you so much more than that. That is the reason I promised myself not to touch you that way unless you are ready to give a chance. A chance to show you what it means to be loved, cherished and happy."
The intensity of his words and expression rattled Zero slightly. Gin always used goofy and silly ways to confess his feelings to the hunter repeatedly. The dramatically humorous way he used allowed the hunter an escaped route each time, but not this time.
They gazed at each other for a while before Zero draped his arm lazily on Gin's shoulders and tried to make light of the situation himself this time, "A chance huh? So how will it start? Are you going to take me for a strawberry sundae date?"
"Never knew that you had a sweet tooth, but I would not mind doing that." Gin smirked.
"I don't." Zero scoffed, drawing closer to the man, "So… What will be it?"
"Are you thinking of giving me a chance?" Gin asked, seeing through the evasive attempt of the hunter.
"Maybe, a trial run."
"I do not do deals with time limits by the way." The flinch of Zero's hands on his shoulders confirmed to Gin that it was exactly like that with Kaname. His smirk grew wider. It is good to learn from the mistakes of others.
"How is it going to be then?" Zero was genuinely curious this time.
"We can start by having you think about me seriously, as a partner, not just a friend or one of the night stands you had."
"And then…"
"When you feel like you can give it a serious attempt, we start dating."
"See… It is all about the sex in the end."
"Did I say that I will sleep with you the moment you say yes?" Gin quirked an amused eyebrow at the frown.
"So you are planning on putting me through a dry spell? What if I cheat?" Zero taunted.
"We can still kiss and cuddle at first. I will just refrain from doing it until you are really sure you want to be with me and only me." Gin pointed.
"That is… weird logic." Zero mumbled and pondered before smiling and leaning towards Gin.
Just as their lips were about to touch, Gin pulled way and tugged Zero's lower lips painfully hard, "You have to stop teasing me. Not doing anything does not mean that I do not want to ravish you every time I have you close."
Zero laughed at the pained expression of the other man, "Let's see then if you are able to resist me before I get tempted to give the okay~"
Gin felt like he just dug his own grave from the mischievous glint of the hunter.
"I think I will get this house." He deadpanned, surprising Zero by the sudden change of topic and the cheerful voice.
"Why the rush, you still have few others to see during the week, don't you."
Gin shook his head in a lazy denial, "Naah~ I like this one, I have the feeling that it might turn into a lucky charm for me."
Zero looked around the huge building and scoffed, "Quite oversized for a lucky charm."
When the time came for them to go back, Zero's stomach growled and Gin decided to swing by a restaurant when he hunter refused to wait until they joined the others.
"Are you raising an army in there?"
"Wuff?" Gin lips quivered at the sight of Zero with stuffed cheeks. He looks like a squirrel.
He wiped a grain of rice from his cheek and ate it, "I am talking about the sixth plate you just cleaned. Have you always been a big eater."
"Going in hibernation." Zero deadpanned as he started on the seventh.
"What?"
"Never mind, let me eat." He dismissed with a spoon, making Gin chuckle and get back to his own first plate that he had yet to finish.
"Make sure to leave some space for the dinner later in that endless pit of yours." Zero's hand stilled at the reminder as well as the memory of garnet eyes staring at him as he left the campus grounds.
He looked at the dark blue haired man keeping him company while swallowing his food. "Neh! Gin…"
"What?"
"Do you think you can drop at the train station and take the car back to Ichiru?"
Gin frowned at that, "Why, aren't you going back?"
"I have work I need to do. I did not plan to stay long anyways. I would have gone back had Ichiru decided to stay over from the start."
Gin sighed at the stream of excuses that amounted to Zero's attempt to avoid confronting a brown haired pureblood.
"I can get a taxi back to the Academy, you drive after you finish eating."
Zero paused for a moment, he did not want to tell Gin about the bout of dizziness he was getting during the viewing being the reason he does not want to drive and wreck his precious car.
"I might get sleepy on the steering wheel." He tried to make it sound as humorous as possible.
Just that sentence got Gin worried to the point of spouting an outrageous suggestion, "Then, I will drive you back, leave the car and come back by train myself. I will have someone pick me up at the station when I get back."
"What are you saying? You have classes tomorrow." Zero exclaimed.
"So what?... I can handle that much. There is still plenty of time, I can survive on a couple hours of sleep now that I do not have any more appointments with other agents. That woman was super excited on the phone earlier; it seems to be her first commission."
After a lot of debating, Zero had to concede and accept the offer.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ Early morning the next day at Zero's place ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
His phone alarm buzzed loudly in the dark room, startling him to death. Grey eyes opened lazily checking the time. It could be considered early morning or very late night, but he knew that he is cutting it close if he wanted to make it on time for his classes. It was unlucky that he had the morning period that day. Gin sat up groggily from the couch in Zero's apartment. Even if it was a high quality sofa bed, it was not as comfortable as the real thing. As soon as his vision adjusted to the darkness, he realized that he was not alone in it. Zero was curled up by his side, which startled him for a second.
What is the point of sleeping here if you were going to crawl beside me?
He moved slowly and turned on the dim light of a lamp as not to bump in anything. After putting his clothes on, he could not fight the urge of kissing a soft cheek before leaving the apartment with a full-teethed smile. He had to stand in the cold for a good ten minutes until he managed to catch a cab.
The smile could not disappear when he remembered how Zero insisted on having him sleep over.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞
"Whether you sleep here or there will not make a difference."
Although Gin knew that Zero was aware of the huge difference between sleeping at his place and then run to the train and jump to classes compared to sleeping at the dorms and walk leisurely there. However, he could not resist the cute roundabout way of Zero asking him to keep him company. He conceded and asked for a pillow and covers to sleep on the couch. Zero tried to pull him to the bedroom, but he managed to resist.
"I will not let my guard down when you are playing the innocent seduction game, Zero. Now either you give me my sleeping set, or I will leave."
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞
The purpose of not sleeping in the same bed was obviously for Gin to keep himself in check. He was grateful for exhaustion that made him sleep deeply enough that he did not notice when Zero joined him.
He spent the way back thinking of the hunter. He knows that he was talking big back there when he would give anything to embrace the hunter. He still remember that night he saw him at the bar. The profile of the lone wolf fascinated him. He was literally pulled out of bed to celebrate the bachelor party of a friend. That bar was the second one they hit after finishing the party at home. Seeing the dazed expression, one of his friend poked him and whispered, "You better stay away from the silver butterfly if you do not want you soft heat to get broken to pieces."
When he thought back on it, he realized that it might have been better if he took the advice to heart, but he couldn't resist the pull. He approached him with the intention of having a drink and chat. When he introduced himself, his breath was already shortening from the heated gaze those violet eye checked him out with. The sly smile made him tremble and the final blow was the beckoning finger, the sudden sloppy kiss that made his knees go weak as well as the sultry whisper, "I have no time to chitchat, shall we go to your place or mine?".
Gin had to pop a few button and fan himself as he felt his body heating up at the memory, ignoring the look of the old woman sitting next to him in the train. He stifled a chuckle when he remembered the fuming hunter dragging him out to the car when Gin was stuttering to answer.
The train stopping marked the halt of his memory. he exited the platform and the gate after checking his phone. He quickly found the car and walked faster to greet the person waiting for him.
"You are making me feel bad for making you come in person to pick me up. It would have been fine if you just sent the driver by himself, I am sure I would have recognized the car." Gin complained as he got in the back seat, following his companion.
"Don't be silly! I was free and wanted to come along because I wanted to have a talk with you as well." The red-brown eyes of the female pureblood looked more serious than usual.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ two days before the ball ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
Zero's energy was draining as the days went by. He was genuinely confused about what was happening to him. He even went as far as googling the symptoms, only to find them pointing to depression. He almost broke his phone when he saw that it happens to those who lose something or someone important to them. His sleeping problem got worse. He had been spending most of his time with Ichiru whenever he was not busy preparing for his party. He found himself able to sleep soundly when surrounded by others, and never sleeping a wink when alone. His thoughts would drift to Kaname's embrace and the comfort he felt whenever he slept in his arms. He is eating like a bear to the point that he worried about the tuxedo not fitting for the ball happening in two days, although vampires do not gain weight most of the time.
When new symptoms appeared, Zero decided to go for a check up. The only problem was that he did not want to bother his brother in law who already deleguated his job to his subordinates in order to help Ichiru. He knew that Hanabusa would have to spare time for his blood test and scans because Zero's case is absolutely confidential. The hunter sighed as he browsed the web for solutions. The final decision was to go elsewhere.
He luckily found a small clinic affiliated with the hospital in Cross city which caters to vampires. He booked an appointment with an alias. He dyed his hair black and put black lenses as well as hiding his tattoo as not to get recognized. He felt nervous in the establishment filled with vampires without his weapon but it would be a dead giveaway if someone noticed Bloody Rose. His frustration built up when they asked for blood testing and other examinations, and then come later for the result.
He was already unable to drive his car because of the dizziness; the nurse was not helping much when she gave him a big ratio of blood pills.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ The day of the ball ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
*sigh*
"Nii-san, would you please stop with the gloomy look and get dressed already." Ichiru snapped giving him his pants.
Zero sluggishly slid on leg after the other. He felt exhausted, as if he had no energy to the point that pulling his weight around was the hardest thing to do. His eyes widened when he had to suck in his belly to button his pants. Kaito let out a loud laugh witnessing the action and Ichiru followed shortly after, "Shit! that pig-eating finally caught up!"
Zero scowled at both of them, "ha ha! I though you would be smarter and guess that the tailor screwed up the size."
Both Kaito and Ichiru shook their head in a robotic way while spreading their arms to show the perfect fit of their tux tailored by the same person, thus, Zero grit his teeth and finished dressing.
Once done, Shiki asked them to join the girls in another room of the Kuran castle.
Zero could not help smiling at the sight of Yuki in a cream-colored high waisted gown that complemented the brown shade of her hair and eyes. Her hand flew to her mouth before squealing.
"Oh my God! You guys look gorgeous. I feel like you might steal the limelight."
"Don't make us wear this fancy shit then." Zero retorted with a smirk on his face while fixing his bowtie that he was planning to remove ten minutes into the party.
Yuki came up to him and fixed it back, strangling him in the process to drive her point home, "Ai needs to remember that we all did out best to look the greatest in her first ball when she goes through the albums."
"Oh! That is why you wore a dress that would camouflage the love handles." Zero teased making Yuki's face go red from anger and punch him in the gut.
"Do not make fun of pregnancy fat. I would love to keep it as a proof of carrying her, but it will strip away in a couple of months maximum." She huffed but startled when Zero did not straighten up from his bending position. She rushed to him at the same time as Ichiru who noticed the pained expression Zero had when she hit him.
"Zero… Zero, are you okay, did I hit too hard… Oh god! sorry… I"
"I am fine." Zero gave a croaked answer before straightening up and leaning on Ichiru's shoulder, his face still pained, "The pain shot before you hit me. Shit!"
He clutched Ichiru's shoulder when another cramp like pain shot through his lower abdomen. Ichiru noticed and pulled out of the room, "Is it that time of the month or something?"
"No…" Zero answered after taking a deep breath, "I mean it is supposed to be, but it is not yet… Fuck, that was really painful. Hope it does not happen again. I will go get some more blood pills."
Ichiru stared at the fatigued hunter, worries soaring in his head. He made a mental note to tell Hanabusa about it.
The ridiculously huge and brightly illuminated hall of the castle was nothing short of extravagant. The organizers went to extra length for this event because of it symbolism for the royal family. Almost every vampire and hunter came to attend this time because of the important introduction. The invitation extended to all parties, even those opposing the peace treaty, which required them to place a tight security system.
Zero sighed as he patted his gun that was tucked in the customized inner pocket of his tailcoat.
He froze for a second when he opened the door and came face to face with the brown haired pureblood. Yuki was oblivious to his reaction since she was having her last makeup touch up by Ruka while Rima checked her dress. Kaname, on the other hand, felt his breath hitch at the gorgeous sight of the hunter in the formal clothing. He wanted to compliment him badly, tell him how handsome he looked, kiss him, hug him, take him away, and make love to him tenderly in hope of closing the gaping hole Zero left in his heart. He felt his throat drying up and a lump forming in his throat at the idea of never talking to him again, even as stranger. The shocked and troubled looked Zero gave him sliced through his chest like the sharpest blade. He excused himself out of the room. They both stepped back to make space for the other when Kaname reached the door, neither noticing the hurt nor the longing in the other's eyes when they inhaled their mutual scent for a brief moment.
"Zero!" Yuki called, snapping him from his daze, "You will go down the stairs with Ai first along with Ichiru. Onii-sama and I will follow shortly after."
Zero frowned at that, "And who is supposed to carry Ai?"
"Did you forget," Ichiru complained, "Yori-chan will be the one carrying her."
"Oh! yea…" Zero remembered his brother talking about how the girls were worried about Yuki tripping like her clumsy self and drop the baby down the stairs.
Ruka and Rima could not do it as it was considered blasphemy for the royal heir to be introduced in the hands of a lower ranked vampire. The idea that a male vampire would do it was out of question, especially the king. Sayori Wakaba suggesting to handle the task was truly a heroic act in the eyes of others, it would not only save face against any incident Yuki might cause, but it is in harmony with the peace treaty. The symbolism of it was incredible, the heir of the throne, a pureblood descendant of the strongest clan of vampires making her entrance to the society in the arms of a human, and escorted by two descendants of the most prominent hunter's clan, Ichiru and Zero.
It did not take long for the best friend of Yuki to join them, wearing a stunning baby blue dress and a flower of the same shade pinned on the side of her head. She was happily cradling a smiling Ai. Zero felt like the baby doubled in size since the last time he saw her. The speed of their growth is truly amazing in the first weeks!
He felt strangely proud of his adoptive sister for doing such a good job raising a healthy baby, to the point that he patted her head and pulled her in a side hug for no reason. The action surprised Yuki but she reciprocated when she saw the adoration in Zero's eyes when looking at her daughter. You are truly the best uncle she could have wished for!
Once everything is settled, the music in the ballroom signaled the grand entrance of the main guest, thus catching the attention of nearly a thousand attendee. Sayori was grateful for the Spartan practice she made herself do for this very moment. Secretly in her mansion, with the help of her maids, the girl with light brown hair would blindfold herself and wear the most uncomfortable high heels she could find. She would carry a heavy hot water bottle and go down the stair many times daily for almost a week just to make sure that she could carry the precious girl of her best friend.
All eyes were glued to the glistening marble curved stair case, waiting impatiently to see the Kuran princess, a big wave of murmur erupted when they witness a human cradling a bundle wrapped in the finest silk with the Kuran emblem visible on the corner draped over Yori's forearm. The uproar did not cease when the two identical silverette stood on either side of her before the three of them walked down the next flight of stairs, heads held high.
The initial shock subsided as soon as the announcer called out the name of the child and declared her as the next Queen of vampires, a round of deafening applause erupted, causing the child discomfort. It was a good thing that she was used to Sayori who knew a couple of trick to calm her without raising a fuss.
"Oh dear! What a beautiful child she is." A noble female vampire approached them, extending her hand to touch the baby. Sayori sensed the bad vibe from the woman and subtly took a step back, that is when Zero grabbed the vampire's wrist and flipped to see the syringe skillfully hidden under her hand. The woman had no time to react before the barrel of Bloody Rose connected with her head.
"I believe that your intention was not to inject her with more nutriment, is it?" Zero asked sarcastically. The room fell silent when they felt the killer aura he emanated. Takuma and the others were by his side in the blink of an eye. Kaito already pulling the restraining cuffs to arrest the criminal threatening a child's life. No one expected a blade to pierce her head and turn her to dust.
"Shit!" Zero cursed and pointed his gun to the estimated direction of the hit, leading all vampires to jump sideway to avoid any stray bullet. To their surprise, no bullet came out. Zero closed his eyes and concentrated his senses on Bloody Rose. Like a thirsty hound, its thorny vines grew, a couple of them grabbed the blade first before the other few shot in one direction.
"Waaahhhaahha!" A loud squeal caught the attention to another vampire being lifted with the vines so high; he almost hit the enormous chandelier.
Zero gritted his teeth as he spoke, "This will be a warning to any of you planning or even thinking of hurting Ai Kuran, my niece!" A chill ran through the spine of every person present at the ball, vampire, hunter or a human when the thorny vines sliced through the screaming vampire until he turned to dust.
A couple of other vampires cried in horror and ran to flee for their life, thinking that the gun could actually detect their intentions when it went straight for his comrade who eliminated the woman who failed her mission.
"All accomplices should meet the same fate." Zero deadpanned as he directed his gun in their direction, only for the vines to retract suddenly as his vision blurred. Kaito was behind him in time to prevent his staggering to show any weakness. The second to realize was Senri who immediately drew a blood whip to catch and kill one of the escaping vampires. The side caused more shock and bewilderment when his expression did not change a bit. Zero clucked a tongue when he noticed the last one escaping with no one to stop him.
"Relax…" Kaito whispered, "There is a competent guard at the gate that surely heard you loud and clear."
"Let's hope this vampire is man enough to kill his own kin like Shiki." Zero snorted
"He is certainly no vampire."
At the gate of the ballroom, the panicked vampire screamed at the person barring his way, "Move BRAT! I WILL KILL YOU!"
"Nah~" a lazy childish voice of a child reached the nearby ears, "I have been told to slay whoever tries to escape… Sorry, oji-san."
"BRAAT!" The incensed vampire drew his claws out as he jumped in the air to slash the child holding a black rod.
"Lets do it! Tsuba-chan." The rod quivered at the whisper and morphed in a peach black fearsome weapon. it morphed into a double bladed staff, one end had a spearhead while the other end had a series of sharp blades forming the shape of a single wing. With one swing, the air quivered and a blast deafened the unsuspecting guests as the weapon split the vampire in two and cracked the marble floor in the process.
In the silent room, Zero's whistle echoed louder than necessary, "Yorutsubasa is a vicious as the rumors were saying."
Kaito puffed his chest and scoffed, "He is still having a pain controlling it though."
Takuma chuckled at the proud shining in Kaito's eyes and could not help but add to it, "Sachi just slayed a noble if you did not notice, Master Takamiya."
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"I would like to thank the hunters and my cousin who helped protecting my precious daughter from those who targeted her life. Dear guests, would you please share my feelings and applaud their chivalry."
The sound of the king snapped all head to the top of the stairs, the clapping sound coming from his side shifted their gaze to the queen standing by his side, happily smiling. Although those who knew her could detect the quivering of her lips and the worry haunting her eyes. If not for the duty of keeping up silly appearance, Yuki would have flown down the stairs to grab and hug her daughter the instant she heard Zero's threat.
To channel her anxiety she clutched Kaname's arm when he urged he to do so before calmly going down the stairs in the middle of another wave of applause. She did not lose time rushing to her daughter as soon as her small feet his the last step. Kaname on the other hand, remained in his place; acting like the regal king he is while greeting the guests that came to congratulate him. His chocolate brown tuxedo was the very definition of elegance and royal classiness. It complimented his hair and eyes to a terrifying perfection to the point that it looked as if Kaname was making the clothes look good not the other way around.
By that time, Zero had already retreated to against a wall and gotten rid of the bowtie as planned. Kaito stuck close to him because he was worried about the mishap that happened even when Zero reassured him that he was already feeling better. The silver-haired hunter was grateful that his friend was not aware of the real reason that leads Bloody Rose to retract its vines without his consent. The only person aware of it was its parent, the pureblood he had been unconsciously following with his gaze.
The tension dissipated enough for the guests to enjoy their drinks and the fine music of the gathering while trying to have a chance in talking with the royal hosts. The moment that Zero dreaded the most had finally come, the photoshoot.
Ichiru made sure to strap the tie back on him and fix his clothes for him before dragging him for a 'family' picture. Yuki stood in the middle with Ai in her arms. Kaname stood on her right and Zero had to stand on her left, the two males were a little behind her shoulders. The first picture was taken. After that, Ichiru stood next to his twin and Cross Kaien stood next to Kaname to take the second picture. The final one was supposed to be one of the big family of Cross academy. A lot of shifting and pushing was involved in order to involve everyone in one frame. To Zero's agony, his hand had to brush that of the pureblood multiple time due to some pushing. He felt his body heat up each time it happened and he hated feeling that way. His expression came out stiff at the moment that the picture was taken because Kaname subtly held his hand behind Yuki's back one no one was looking. Zero snatched as soon as the crowd was dispersing, his heart racing faster than ever.
He could not help the flood of memories he tried to erase so badly, memories of that hand, that touch. He hated remember the perfect temperature of Kaname's skin that sent jolts through his aroused body whenever it caressed him sensually. He could never forgot the gently way it patted his head, cradled his check or kneaded his tense body whenever he was feeling anxious about the smallest things. He could never forget the hand that slapped his own when he reached out for the brown haired man, in attempt to ease his pain after he betrayed Kaname's trust. His heart ached as if being squeezed at the memory, at the thought that he lost that touch forever.
He resumed his secluded position along with Kaito and observed the regal pureblood as he took more photos with his family.
Kaname
He watched as he put a hand over Yuki's shoulder and placed one over the hand cradling Ai before bringing his cheek close to hers, smiling lovingly at the camera.
Kaname
Zero hugged himself as if it was freezing cold in the heated room. He startled when a pair of big hands rested on his shoulders, "You look extremely delectable in that outfit and my little heart could barely handle it."
The familiar voice of Gin brought an amount of comfort to his distressed state, he exhaled and looked over his shoulder, "You are not bad yourself." He smiled at the shining grey eyes.
"Fallen for me yet?" Gin teased, whispering close to his ear.
"You wish." Zero snorted.
"I do wish so, since I have fallen in love all over again after witnessing your hunter part in action. Never knew you could look that cool and fierce."
"Flattering me will not earn you brownie points."
"Oh! You feel flattered? That is enough for me."
"Can you please stop acting all chummy already?" Kaito groaned from his place against the wall.
"Someone is lonely and jealous." Zero teased, knowing how much Kaito hated other flocking and trying to flirt with Takuma during such parties without being able to ward them off.
"Screw. you."
The silver hunter sighed and tapped Gin's hands, "You need to go and sit obediently close to Cross. I can do anything if something happens to you while you are wondering around like a child. Please be aware of the danger around you. You are like a juicy piece of steak dangling in front of hungry dogs here, I don't know what that old man was thinking when he agreed to your invitation."
"Aww come one, it is not like anything that bad could happen."
"Excuse me!" Zero turned and faced him with a pissed off look that made Gin shrink under his gaze, "Did you not witness a vampire attempting to murder a baby just now?"
"Okay… Okay… I am going… right now… immediately." Gin retreated quietly.
Zero followed him until he was with Ichiru and Hanabusa, close enough to Cross Kaien and Isaya Shouto.
He turned around just in time when the music indicating the starting of the dance echoed through the hall.
The same uneasy feeling creep up again when his eyes landed on the brown haired pureblood.
Something inside him screamed for those garnet orbs to look his way.
Kaname…
He watched as the pureblood made a formal gesture, asking Yuki to grant him the dance. The same gesture he did during his romantic date in Paradiso when Zero conceded to dancing with him. Memories of that euphoric evening came rushing back.
Kaname…
His hands reached out to stroke the earing he received on his twenty-sixth birthday. He swallowed loudly.
Kaname…
Yuki extended her hand for Kaname to take,
No, don't…
With an elegant movement, Kaname took the smaller hand and brought his lips against it while looking at his mate.
Stop it!
He placed his hand on her side and cradled the one he kissed to start the dance.
Kaname…
Zero's eyes widened when they swayed on the dancefloor, his body flushed hot and cold at the same time. He was not aware of the trembling of his limbs.
Stop it!
He felt an unbearable pressure in the back of his head when Yuki placed both hands on Kaname's shoulders and Kaname reciprocated by wrapping his around her delicate frame lovingly.
Stop it… Don't touch him… get away… He is mine!
The shock and physical shaking snapped Zero from listening to the inner voice screaming in his head.
"Zero! What is wrong?" Kaito's voice registered in his head, he was worried but Zero could not understand why.
"I am fine. Why are you asking so many times?" He shrugged lazily to seem relaxed.
"You are crying, moron!" Kaito snipped pulling him further from the crowd.
"Eh?" Zero brow a hand to his cheek and noticed the dampness, "Eh? How?" His words were disjoint, his voice robotic and expression stunned as he realized that his tears were falling without him knowing. He started wiping them, trying to stop them, "huh? They are not stopping… Why?" Kaito had to grab his wrist so that Zero does not peel the skin of his face.
He glanced over his shoulder to the dancefloor where Yuki and Kaname were happily smiling at each other and whispering, the tears flew harder and his chest ached, badly. It was a brief moment, but it struck him like a lighting when wine orbs looked his way. He quickly averted them and ran through a corridor to escape whatever came over him. Kaito was about to run after him but Zero yelled that he was going to get some fresh air and come back later.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
Dragging his tired body, Zero ran down the wide corridor, the red color of the carpet swam in his tears-filled vision. A hand over his mouth, he swallowed a sob… His throat tightened… His breathing turning shallow as he finally wobbled while using the other hand to support himself against the wall. His stomach churned and he rushed to the first door that encountered him when he heard voices coming from behind him. He was lucky that it was a bathroom for he rushed to hug the toilet seat and hurl whatever he ate that day in it. He cried harder when he could not stop the clenching, churning and puking sequence that went on for several minutes that felt like hours. He sat there for a moment, dazed with his mouth hanging open. He later found an ounce of strength to hoist his form to the sink. He promptly threw the tie he had torn on his way inside, and popped a few buttons open before gurgling and popping few buttons open.
Looking at the mirror, he could see the redness of his cheek from rubbing the unstoppable tears. He throat tightened and he felt like he was about to cry again. He cursed as many profanities as he could remember before smashing the mirror reflection the misery on his face.
He took a deep breath, but it did not help. He was feeling worse by the minute, dreading to go back there.
He got rid of the tailcoat and the waistband suffocating his form. With his shirt, half-open and his belt taken off, he slumped down the wall and laid on the floor hugging his knees. The shaking of his limbs would not subside, the tightening of his chest was getting worse and all his thoughts were drifting to one person. Kaname.
He bit his lips and pulled at his bangs as he rocked back and forth. Stop it! Stop whispering his name!
But he is mine… Only I am allowed to touch him
He is not yours, he belongs to his family.
I can make him happy, he loves me.
No! you can't… You will only make him miserable… All you have done so far was hurting those who cared about you. Why should he be any different.
I want him…
You must not…
I need him…
You do not… You never needed anyone… You are better off alone… you deserve no one…
He wants me…
Refuse him…
I can't… I can't go on without him… I am addicted to him.
REFUSE HIM.
Zero let out a loud cry, banging his head against the wall in attempt to stop his internal war. The feelings of despair and helplessness were starting to morph into anger and frustration. He felt like he had enough resolve to go back out and leave the building without faltering and throwing himself in the brunet's arms.
His preoccupied mind made him so dazed that he left the rest of his outfit in the bathroom. He forgot to even button up his shirt as his dull eyes found the door handle, opened it, and left.
*Bump*
Amethyst eyes traveled upward to meet garnet orbs. True fear and dread filled the hunter when he saw the sad but affectionate look in those dark eyes. Don't look at me like that!
"Why were you crying Zero?" Kaname's hand came up to cup a reddened cheek.
"…"
"Zero?"
"…"
"Zero, why are you crying?" Kaname panicked when huge drops started dropping down his fingers as he cupped the face of the distressed hunter.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ TBC ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ ONE SNIPPET OF THE NEXT CHAPTER *EVIL GRIN*
"Mamiya-san, you are currently seven to eight weeks pregnant. Congratulation!"
Because of how breathtakingly beautiful you were when the child was conceived, I guess.
Zero was grateful for using the alias of the undercover missions. He was grateful for the hair dye and disguise. He was grateful because the words simply swiped the floor under his feet and he felt like he was on a freefall. The doctor who, to his bad luck, was a noble class vampire just announced that he was indeed pregnant, and that the child was undeniably Kaname's.
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YES… YESS… HELL YEAAAAH! I SAID IT! OH GOD! I HAVE BEEN DYING TO WRITE THAT DAMN SENTENCE SINCE THE FIRST LINE OF CHAPTER … I DUNNO, THE ONE I ANNOUCED THE MPREG IN, YOU FIGURE IT OUT! PHEW… ZERO IS FUCKING PREGNANT!
Okay… let me calm down… *deep breath*… Sorry, I could not help but slam that bloody snippet. I am halfway through the next chapter and I am affected by the tension and whatever stuff is in there. I need to catch some sleep and rest my nerves before finishing it.
I wanted to post them both, but I am too drained to do so, so I told myself, "Girl you know what? you riddled this chappie with enough hints to scream that Zero is pregnant, put it up there so that they have a good night sleep for once" or maybe not *looking away innocently*
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Thank you guys for the favorite, following and the awesome reviews, you are the best motivation ever.
I will be doing a shout out for the reviewers of the previous chapter on each following update because I feel like I might mistakenly miss one awesome reviewer if I let it build up. that would be a crime:
BUCKETS OF LOVE AND BIG HUGS TO THE WONDERFUL REVIEWERS OF CHAPTER 36:
1. kmbanas : I already said it, but you cracked me up when I saw the two reviews one after the other XD love you
2. mi5tan : You are sweeter, really. I enjoy reading your review each time. XD love you
3. Senja844: You got the short answer in this chapter and the details of how it came to be known will be in the next one XD love you
4. YaoiLoverPrincess: I felt like singing an improvised version saying "I am annoying and I know it" reading your review. hahahahah! Check the rest in your pm. XD Love you
5. irmina: It gets scary how you nail some part of the upcoming plot, but I won't spoil by saying which :p XD Love you
6. eikoamaya1 : A chapter without your review would be lacking an important thing. You were among the first readers who read and reviewed the story, motivating me to go on even when I felt like it was getting boring XD Love you
7. XtAG: Dear! Your heart might have healed a bit during this chapter, but it will be broken to piece in the next one. I personally cried writing part of it. Make sure to keep hiding in that shelter XD Love you
8. hotxhotguy: One word! Epic! Your reviews leave me laughing so hard because they are so blunt and right to the point, I absolutely love reading them. XD Love you
9. miketsukami13: The biggest thank you will go to you, (I am not trying to play favorite here but you deserve it), like eiko, you have been following this story since I started posting it to the point that I start to worry when I do not see your review :p Thank you for giving me inspiration as well even if you did not mean to hahahahaha XD love you.
Allright this wil be the only time I give such a detailed shoutout. The next one will only have names and answers for guest reviews ;)
I love you all and for those who did not get the shout out even though they reviewed a lot of previous chapters, you know I love you guys.
I promise I will make a lengthy shoutout for all reviewers at some point, when I have time to copy paste all your names while making sure not to miss or repeat anyone.
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