Edited from the original to fit FFN's content guidelines. Warnings for toxic behavior, possessiveness, yandere ML, insecure attachment.
.
A flash of lightning illuminated the darkness of their bedroom, the shape of Mayumi's body traced with white light, before receding into the shadows. Jacob sat silently next to her, watching the slow tidal movements of his wife's breathing.
She'd said she hated it here. Suddenly, irrationally, Jacob wanted to find the men that disturbed their quiet existence and run his sword through them.
The rain poured. Thunder rolled, and with each taut burst of lightning, watery shadows formed on Mayumi's body, cutting a silver swath of light that rimmed the edge of her cheek.
Do you love me more than you hate living here? She was so close to leaving.
Now Mayumi breathed, then shifted, angling her body so that she was lying flush against him. The crown of her head poked against Jacob's thigh as he sat up in the bed, and he wondered what right he had to keep her with him if she were so miserable.
Would she hate him if he forced her to stay here? He pressed his hand to his face, his disheveled hair falling one narrowed eye peeking from behind his fingers.
No. She was his. She had no say in it.
"Hey. Why are you sitting in the dark like some sort of emo villain?" Her soft voice cut through the rainy dark. Jacob's eyes widened.
Mayumi propped herself up on her elbow and smiled sleepily at him.
"I was thinking how close it was to you leaving here," Jacob said. His voice was quiet. He focused on the small pains in his chest, the sound of rain and thunder.
"Don't be stupid," Mayumi said, and she pulled herself up on his lap, snuggling him. "You're my husband."
"I wonder about that." Another crash of thunder. "What would you do if I used force to keep you here?"
"I'd probably be super pissed at you. You're lucky I wanna stay here."
Jacob lowered his eyes, ignoring the shameful wetness gathering at the corners.
"No one has ever chosen me," he said, and he scooted down into the bed to hold her. "I promise I won't make you regret it." Mayumi smiled and cupped his cheek.
They made love again, moving in the darkness. Jacob sighed, pressing into her, holding her close and burying himself inside her.
He came quicker than he anticipated, pulsing hard, the muscle at his base clenching and unclenching. Mayumi clung to him and he was reminded again that for all she hated it here, she still chose him.
Another flash of lightning lit up the darkness as they kissed, a roll of thunder booming a few moments later.
xXx
.
The best part of being married, Mebuki thought, straddling Jacob on his lap and holding him as he shuddered, pulsing, was being able to let Jacob come inside her.
She liked holding him when he orgasmed, how he'd gasp raggedly and cling to her, pulsing helplessly. The throbbing feeling was always enough to tip her just over the edge, making her body pop with small, half-orgasms. The face he made too was priceless: eyes squeezed shut, a helpless blush cracking across his cheeks, his face wrenched in a painful expression. She liked to think that all that pleasure was overwhelming for him.
"I bet this isn't any better than all those girls you've been with," Mebuki said, as Jacob lay dreamily against her chest, their fingers laced together. Jacob frowned at her.
"Why would you say that? Of course this is better. I can come inside you without a condom."
Mebuki laughed, smacking him.
They kissed. His mouth twitched into a grin.
"Mm. You still look like a trashy villain," she said.
"Well evidently you are a trashy woman."
"Did Jun show you those comics?" Mebuki asked, shifting against his chest. Jacob grinned.
"I had the court artist reproduce them."
"No!"
"Apparently it was quite scandalous."
The engineer had to stay for a few weeks in the kingdom. "It's no problem," Jun said. "A week here is just a few seconds of being plugged in. I probably couldn't go back if I wanted to because they literally just hooked me up, the logout process would probably take a month."
"He is an emissary from the gods!" the archbishop said, when Mebuki introduced them.
xXx
.
"Where exactly are the toilets?" Jun asked. Mebuki cackled.
"Isn't it awful?!" she said.
"Oh my god, this is terrible!" Jun said.
Jacob watched them. He normally wouldn't begrudge his dear wife such friendships, but this man seemed to share more with his woman than Jacob did.
If he killed him now, he'd just return to his world again. Jacob's hand rested on his sword, considering. No, I mustn't. Mayumi would be angry at him.
There it was, that gnawing, aching feeling again. One that was once so familiar and so potent, it nearly drove him to committing treason.
"Let me inside you," Jacob said, cornering her in the garden. Mebuki blinked, standing.
"What, now?"
"I need to feel you," Jacob said, pushing against her. Mebuki made a face at him.
"Jesus. Keep it in your pants, there's people here," she said.
"Let them see, then," Jacob said.
"Later," she said, and she kissed him. Jacob's eyes narrowed as she moved to smile at her ladies-in-waiting, ignoring him.
"You will embrace me," he said, grabbing her roughly by the arm. Mebuki stumbled back, losing her balance. The women of the court looked up at them.
"Ah ha ha, sorry ladies," Mebuki said, as Jacob yanked her down the garden path with him.
xXx
.
"Dude, what is with you?" Mebuki said.
"You spend all day and night with him," Jacob said.
"With who? With Jun?"
Jacob glared at her. "We've not been married even a fortnight and already you are seeking the company of other men!"
"Are you serious?" Mebuki said. Jacob paced, agitated.
"I asked that you embrace me, and yet you still refused."
"I was hosting a stupid tea party, I couldn't just leave them," Mebuki said.
"You cast me aside so easily. Why do you go to such lengths to reject me?"
She could see the wounded look in his eyes, his anger shifting to a nameless hurt. Mebuki's guard lowered.
"Oh, Jesus," she said, and she hugged him. "You're so messed up. I get it now, you were feeling insecure and jealous."
"I just do not like it when you spend so much time with him," Jacob said.
"Wanna have sex?" Mebuki said.
Jacob still had that hurt puppy look. He nodded.
"Okay, it's okay, I don't care about him, let's go have sex," she said.
He hugged her again.
xXx
.
"You know, for the record, I feel like this is rewarding you for yelling at me and getting jealous."
"How do you mean?" Jacob asked. It was mid-afternoon, and they were lying naked in bed. Mebuki shifted to look at him.
"You need to trust me," Mebuki said. "You can't just yell and scream at me, that'll make me wanna get away from you. If you're feeling bad you need to just tell me."
"I feel bad," Jacob whispered brokenly, as Mebuki cuddled him.
"Why do you feel bad?"
"Because you and that man share things I cannot understand."
"Well you and I share your penis, so there's that."
"One can share their bodies with each other and yet still be distant," Jacob said. "I know from firsthand experience."
Mebuki fell quiet. She slid her fingers between his, resting her cheek on his chest.
"It's just nice sometimes, being able to talk about a tampon and not having to explain what it is."
"I too know what a 'tampon' is," Jacob said, offended. Mebuki smiled at him.
"Yes I know you do, you heard me rant a lot about them." She fluffed his hair, kissing him. "Can you just trust me? And not yell at me like a psycho when you're jealous?"
Jacob's eyes lowered as he considered. He nodded. "Forgive me for frightening you," he said. "Will you embrace me when I ask you to?"
"Yeah, if I'm not tired or something, or not in the mood."
Jacob smiled. "You rarely are not in the mood."
"Mmm. That's true." They kissed again, and he no longer felt jealous.
"Embrace me again," he murmured as they kissed. Mebuki laughed softly.
"Sure."
xXx
.
He was rounding to the courtyard when he saw Jun's hand touch the small of Mayumi's back as she walked next to him.
"How dare you!" Jacob said. He grabbed his sword.
"Jacob!" Mebuki screamed as Jacob violently charged Jun, shoving him against the ground.
"Fiend!" Jacob said, as Jun cried out. The blade was tight against Jun's neck. A bead of blood welled up at the edge.
"Jacob, stop it! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Mebuki said. She grabbed Jacob by the arm, yanking him back.
Jacob shouted. "He was touching you!"
"What the fuck are you talking about?!"
"I saw him put his filthy hand upon you!"
"I tripped!" Mebuki said. "He just caught me!"
"I should kill him now for daring to touch you!"
"Jacob!" Mebuki said, grabbing his arm again. "If you kill him, I'll seriously be pissed!"
("What on earth is going on?" Gautier's advisor said, peering out the window. Gautier sighed heavily and shook his head.
"It's just Jacob.")
xXx
.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Mebuki said. They were alone in the courtyard now, Jun having run away from Jacob.
Jacob glared at her as she stared daggers at him. "I should lock you up so no other man dare lay eyes on you."
"Are you crazy?!" Mebuki raged. Jacob leaned forward. His mouth stretched into a cruel grin.
"If I am 'crazy,' surely you are the one who made me this way."
He reached out to rub a strand of hair between his fingers, grinning meanly. Mebuki smacked his hand away.
"If we were in my world, I would dump you!"
"'Dump'?" Jacob scoffed.
"Break up!" Mebuki yelled. "I would fucking leave you!"
Jacob stopped. "What?"
"You're being scary!" Mebuki said. Tears pricked her eyes but she kept yelling. "You drew your sword at that guy for helping me after stumbling! I don't like it when you're like this! It scares me," she said, and she started crying.
Jacob got a hold of himself. He rushed toward her, hugging her. "I'm sorry," he said.
She sobbed against his chest. "I know, but you just won't stop."
She cried for a few minutes while Jacob held her, feeling utterly helpless. "Forgive me," he said, clutching her. "Please don't leave me."
"I won't, but you're being really scary."
"I'll stop. I promise," Jacob said. He pulled back to look at her, searching her eyes. He cupped the side of her face. "You mean everything to me. Without you, I'm nothing."
Tears filled Mebuki's eyes again as she buried her face against his chest.
They spent the rest of the day in awkward avoidance; Mebuki still had royal duties to attend to, and Jacob still had meetings. He caught glimpses of her in the hallways. Their eyes would meet. Her eyes were still swollen and red. She'd smile wanly at him.
It wasn't until nighttime, when he could hold her, that he felt whole again.
"Can you just stop being psycho and freaking out whenever you're jealous?" Mebuki said.
"What will you have me do?" Jacob said.
"Use your words," Mebuki said. "Talk to me like a normal person."
Jacob's eyes were wet. "I just wish to embrace you."
"Okay. Then let's do that." She held his hand.
She fell asleep. Jacob watched her sleeping, feeling anxious.
Mebuki stirred, then moved, and realized Jacob hadn't been sleeping. "Hey," she said, softly. Automatically she curled up against him as he held her, relishing her weight.
His voice was quiet. "Is it true what you said? Would you really leave me?"
"I mean, if you were a modern guy in the modern world, yeah. You wouldn't have such a fucked up backstory."
He made a soft scoffing sound, and Mebuki hugged him closer.
"I'm sorry I said that," Mebuki said. "I love you. I want to grow old and have lots and lots of babies with you."
Jacob smiled at that. "I will be better," he said, and he tenderly brushed her cheek. "I promise."
"I'm gonna hold you to that."
"I shall think twice before drawing my sword, I swear it."
"I'm glad," Mebuki said, smiling, and they kissed. "And I don't know why I'm so surprised. In the book you were scary possessive."
That night, he watched her sleep, feeling guilty and self-conscious. She was the first and only person to truly care about him. He would die if she were to one day leave him.