Today our chapter is mostly about Jazz. I'm not sure which part of his name is considered his first name, so forgive me for my confusion later, lol. Makes sense in context. I've also been sick to some degree for twenty days, lol. Also was just at Anime Central for the weekend, so my con-crunch sewing is done.
Please let me know if you enjoyed the chapter!
Warning: Light mentions of the Heartbreaker Exam with as little detail as possible. Mentions much later about Gaap's Clan again.
TW: Blood, self-harm/the usual, blacking out, swearing, and impulsive decisions.
Blood Entwined, Crossed Between Distant Moons
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Kalego wasn't quite sure he wanted to know what had happened between yesterday and today for the situation around Iruma to get… stranger. It was both obvious and curious, as now Iruma's usual seating arrangement had shifted. He was getting a few glances, but it was the new addition that was causing stares.
Asmodeus took the inner aisle seat with Clara clinging onto his right side. She clung to Purson on her right, with Iruma in the middle of him and Crocell, as she took the farthest seat out.
Kalego turned to write on the board as he resisted the growing urge to rub a hand down his face and sigh in exasperation.
It was a little surprising that Crocell had seemingly given Iruma her blood- she was getting better at being assertive as a civilian, and not only while performing as an Akudoll. Still, she was rather private, so it had to have been spurred on by something more that he simply wasn't privy to.
No matter, the largest oddity was Andro M. Jazz.
Kalego had already begun to cash in on his demanded meetings with each of his students in regards to the situation.
Elizabetta had nearly volunteered to go first, the chat going strangely off and on topic while she slowly explained how she seemed to have a concrete plan that he, quite simply, couldn't argue with. It was a mixture of involvement and observation, and he felt, along with her continued training with Raim-sensei, that he didn't have all that much to worry about. (Frankly, she was moreso Raim-sensei's problem at this point and he stated as much.)
So he was colored surprised when Jazz messaged him privately for an audience with him and Balam-sensei.
It wasn't that his students were incompetent, however, they were still quite stupid, so he couldn't help his curiosity and bit into the hook laid before him.
Neither of them could stand dragging the meeting out to the end of the day, so when he finished his lesson, he turned to his student and barked, "Andro M. Jazz, we have something to discuss." He tilted his head towards the now proclaimed meeting room, and Jazz stood swiftly, clearly stiff about the situation as he nodded.
"Uh, yeah. Sure." The teen slunk behind him with his hands in pockets and his fellow students gave him unnecessary sympathy.
Really, they shouldn't be as ungrateful for the help he was providing them with this. They had no idea how terribly they could all be punished for this mess.
He opened the door for his student, meeting Shichirou's eyes for a moment as the other gave a simple wave in greeting. Hell Grey Tea already prepared and a few wrapped treats for the taking to distract nervous hands.
Kalego settled next to Shichirou, as Jazz sat down pensively across from them, immediately leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees in deep concentration as he cupped woven fingers in front of his mouth.
Kalego supposed, of his students, Jazz felt the most responsible. He had an odd 'Big Brother' quirk, and the other students seemed to capitalize on the fact that he enjoyed looking after them. It caused an odd clash with Gaap's innate desire to please others and care for them, so it was… fascinating, he supposed.
Jazz inhaled through his nose before looking at them wearily, "How can I adopt Iruma as my brother?"
Kalego was glad he hadn't gone to pick up his tea just yet as he frowned in contemplation while blocking Shichirou out. It was a rather different take he hadn't quite expected his students to think of. "Is that what you believe you want to do?"
Shichirou settled as he glanced towards Kalego, before rubbing a contemplative hand over his mask with a hum, "I suppose it does have merit despite the possible risks involved."
Jazz frowned with a furrow of his brows as uncertainty colored his chosen path.
Kalego leaned forward a little as he looked his student in the eyes, "It's a good idea." Jazz lit up a little at that as he continued, "The problem is, is that with your present ages, it will involve your parents a bit… and Gaap has begged us to keep this as under wraps as possible."
Jazz blinked at that admission, before shrugging it off with a small nod, "Still, if I knew what went into adopting someone into one's lineage, it would help me explain things to my parents as loosely as possible."
Kalego hummed. It was good he was keeping his classmate's situation in mind as he leaned back. This certainly was a bit more complex, but it was also quite simple. The biggest hurdle would land on Jazz's shoulders to get his parents to go along with it. "You will need your mother and father to give you a mixture of their blood. Once they agree to do so, with the intent of bringing another child under their protection, you will need to drink their blood, so that you can then present your mixed blood to Iruma. Whether you choose to use a vial to present that 'new' blood to him, or do so directly is up to you."
Jazz blinked, "That's… that's it?"
Kalego raised an eyebrow, "On paper it's simple, but in action, it most certainly is not."
Jazz pursed his lips as he stared down at his shoes, "And I need their blood? Even though I'm their son?"
Kalego took a deep breath before Shichirou interrupted to explain, "As we age, we become more and more of our own unique selves. It isn't that you become less related to your parents, but their innate protection of you diminishes with time. It is moreso their protection and acceptance that are the issue in this case. You are still training in your Bloodline and Magic, while they are far more experienced in it."
Jazz nodded in understanding, to whatever extent he seemed capable of. It seemed logical enough to him as things were, it seemed. "Alright." He closed his eyes and leaned back into his seat as he took a deep breath and sagged into accepting the responsibility before him while he exhaled.
There was more to explain, and Kalego was pleased when Shichirou took over from there.
At least one of his idiots wouldn't be a blubbering mess filled to the brim with melancholy affection.
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It was one thing to think up this plan, then talk about it with adults he could seemingly trust.
It was definitely a much larger hurdle to go through with it.
Jazz swallowed hard as he met his parents in the back of their shop after hours, as it was the only place he could meet them outside of his brother's earshot.
He would die of embarrassment if his brother learned about this.
He sat down across the store's break table and clasped his hands tightly while they observed him with concern.
His father broke the ice first, "Does this talk have something to do with the attack at your school a while ago?"
Jazz looked at him in surprise, wanting to automatically deny it, before nodding. "Yes… and no."
His father pursed his lips, "Explain."
Jazz hunched into himself stiffly and he stared at his hands. "I accidentally started the adoption process of my classmate when he nearly died."
His parents both froze, an understanding coloring them as his mother reached across the table and gently clasped her hand over his knuckle-white ones. "You drank his blood?"
Jazz grimaced, "It was… a poor decision in the spur of the moment."
Clearly his father had words, but his mother simply nodded before humming, "Did you receive permission from him to do so?"
Jazz shook his head as sweat rolled down his temple, "No, but! Balam-sensei- he found out about what happened and gave me a four hour lecture on it, so…" He hunched with a slight flush as he glanced between his parents, "I have already been thoroughly educated on the idiocy of my choice."
His father relented some of his blatant anger. There was still so much to learn about the mess he and his classmates had simply walked into without enough care.
They'd had no idea it was a landmine, okay?!
His mother closed her eyes in contemplation for a long silent moment. The air was ringing when she finally met his eyes, "Tell me about your classmate, Andro. Which one was it?"
Jazz relented as he found himself relaxing into the smooth tone of his mother's voice. "It… it was Iruma, the Chairman's grandson. He… He's the reason we fought for Royal One and improved our learning experience. He helped me come to terms with my Familiar's appearance and understand how they're a lot more like me than I gave them credit for." He smiled ruefully to himself, "He even saved me during our Heartbreaker exam. He… he got me out of a terrifying situation, and I'm…" He felt tears of gratitude spring to his eyes as his voice wavered in remembrance of the absolute terror he'd felt back then, and the relief of the light Iruma cast upon the situation, "I'm so grateful to him."
He looked up to his parents and laughed at himself, "I can't help but see him as my little brother who needs protection and care, even though he's taken far more care of myself and the others since he entered our lives."
His mother's eyes fully softened, while his father's demeanor seemed to shift in a way he hadn't seen in a long, long time.
His father hummed gently, "A brother in arms, hm?"
Jazz blinked before nodding with an inkling of confusion.
His mother clasped both hands over his, while his father laid a hand with a gentle firmness over both of them, as if in protection as they nodded in unison. "We will help you in this, and explain the finer details."
Jazz couldn't help the elation that sang through his blood and smiled in relief, "Thanks."
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Jazz was a bundle of nerves as he paced around one of the gaming rooms in Royal One. It was noisy, but it covered up how agitated his steps were. His decision to adopt Iruma under himself as his brother was one of the safer choices, but also relied a lot on his willpower and Magic. He needed the innate strength of his parent's blood to pull this off, and it was making him want to throw up with nerves. It was miserable as he paced in a cold sweat, yet each step filled him with more determination and excitement.
He could and would do this. He didn't see Iruma as a potential romantic partner, he couldn't risk screwing up a Security Devil pact… and fact was, he had no desire to be so informally devoted to him. He was a friend, but he knew he loved him in some way, and Iruma himself had claimed to see him as a dependable older brother, so…
So yeah. They would be brothers.
Jazz took in a deep breath, popped the cork off the vial his parents had handed to him that morning, and swallowed it in one big shuddering gulp.
He exhaled, gripping the vial near to bursting as he capped it and hid it on his person with a grimace. He couldn't help but to place a gripping hand over his belly as the heat and strength of his parent's blood wormed and prodded his already nerve-wracked stomach. He knew if he'd eaten something, he would've definitely had a revisit as he stumbled into the side of an arcade box and grunted at the building pain.
His vision swam for a moment as he forced himself to breath, his lungs desperate for air as his body temperature became nearly too much for him to bear, before he slowly recognized a hand on his shoulder. He glanced blearily to his side, and met Allocer's concerned expression and laughed wearily. "Hey."
Allocer furrowed his brow, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Jazz smirked sloppily as he tried to fumble out his hellphone, "I'm jus' gonna adopt Iruma as my lil'bro."
Allocer's eyes widened in shock, before understanding and enlightenment colored his face, "That's… an oddly logical choice." He hummed, looking his friend over, "Need help?"
Jazz slumped against him, as the intensity of his parent's blood finally peaked and slowly crept towards calm, "Augh, yeah."
Allocer led him to a nearby stool before taking the phone from his friend's slackened grip, glancing it over before messaging Iruma to meet them there as swiftly as possible, "How'd you manage to convince your parents to do that?"
Jazz licked his lips, still half worried he might throw up as salt covered his tongue, "Oh, uh, later?"
Allocer hummed with a nod. "Of course." He kept his friend steady as Jazz breathed heavily. He had a full body sweat, and he was far too hot. Allocer rubbed Jazz's back, almost certain his friend was going to lose whatever internal fight he was having, before something clicked and his temperature began to descend into normalcy.
Jazz smirked to himself, as his Magic finally grasped his parent's far more judgmental and foreign strain, as he wound it and wove it into his veins with purpose.
By the time Iruma made it into the Arcade room, Jazz was sitting upright, his hands lazily clasped in his lap as he sat in a comfortably relaxed position. Allocer was silently impressed.
Iruma looked between them, curious caution blatant in his body language as he looked between them before settling on Jazz, "You wanted me for something?"
Jazz smirked with a small nod, "Iruma… I've made my decision about what I want to do, to reciprocate your sacrifice." Iruma's eyes widened, and went to speak before Jazz lifted his hand to silence him. He started to feel a little flustered, "We're short on time with this, so…" He shifted to take Iruma's wrist to pull him closer, and then proceeded to cut his own thumb open and offer it as he met Iruma's eyes, "If you will accept me, I want to adopt you as my little brother in Heart and Spirit."
Iruma gasped softly as he cupped his friend's bleeding hand. He tried to respond, to say something noteworthy, but Jazz was bleeding a bit faster than he expected. "I'd be honored!" He quickly covered the wound, and drank deep of his classmate's blood before cleaning up what'd been spilled and exhaling shakily as he placed a handkerchief over the wound to help it stop from bleeding, "I really appreciate it-"
And suddenly Iruma's blood was so so hot, and he could barely gasp before his world blurred into black as Magic bound him deep and tight.
Allocer reacted faster than Jazz to catch their classmate as he abruptly blacked out. They panicked, as Allocer looked to Jazz to see if he'd expected this. However, the pale white sheen on his friend's face, along with the small jerk of a shake told him everything.
"Balam-sensei." Jazz was breathless as he nudged Allocer to take Iruma to the teacher. His friend gave him a concerned questioning look, "I'm coming, I'm just- give me a second to breathe." He hadn't expected his Magic to pull so harshly in response to all of this. He would never forgive himself if his Magic devoured Iruma's soul or something. He just wanted to protect him!
Allocer rushed ahead as Jazz wiped his brow, forcing himself to inhale and exhale slowly for a moment before rushing after. He didn't acknowledge anyone from that point, only keeping his eyes forward as he caught up to Allocer carrying Iruma's limp form.
What if he'd killed him..?! What sort of older brother was he if-!
A feminine hand tugged on his sleeve as he met Crocell's stern gaze of concern, and his World seemed to snap back into place as her presence brought him back to reality while she jerked him back from running into Allocer in front of Balam-sensei's door.
In no time at all Balam-sensei was ushering them in as he took the limp Iruma from Allocer's arms and settled their classmate into a comfortable looking nest. "What happened?" Balam-sensei was clearly concerned, but considering Jazz was still gripping Iruma's handkerchief tightly in his injured hand as blood seeped through, it was a little obvious.
Jazz swallowed dryly as he tried to catch his breath in a panic, "I was just trying to adopt him!"
Crocell's expression shifted to surprise at that as Balam-sensei nodded in contemplation, "So your parents agreed?"
Jazz nodded jerkily as Balam-sensei hummed and gently gripped his shoulders before bringing the stressed teen over and settling him next to Iruma. "Then stick close to him for now."
Crocell shifted nervously as Allocer crossed his arms to observe. Crocell couldn't help but look at their teacher in worry, "Is this supposed to happen?"
Balam-sensei observed her for a moment, before looking back at his unconscious student, "Not normally, no. But as far as I can tell, he's alright… just…" Something like confusion and suspicion gleamed through his eyes, "Changing." Or was it Updating? He wasn't sure.
The three teens turned their full attention onto the eccentric teacher as Balam notably sighed, pulled up a seat, and sat down tiredly. "Everything about this is new, and full of an endless number of outcomes… but before this started, Iruma-kun had no Magic of his own to speak of. Now he does, but he has no way of understanding it just yet. It's like trying to grasp pouring water with one's fist and having it drip through your fingers every time. His body is dealing with everything in ways we can't predict."
Crocell calmed slightly. While the situation was their fault, so long as Balam-sensei deemed Iruma safe, everything was alright. She nodded silently to herself before going over the Iruma's current nest and crawled up next to him, Balam-sensei and Jazz watched her intently as she pressed the back of her hand to his cheek.
Iruma was simply so hot, yet, he wasn't sweating. This didn't seem particularly good to her, and after a glance towards Jazz, she took out her handkerchief and placed it on her hand on the underside of his neck. She cautiously shimmied to lay down beside him for the sake of comfort, and pulled her ice Magic just below her skin so that her hand would be ice cold.
Iruma pursed his lips with a small whine before unconsciously leaning into the coolness of her hand with a relieved sigh.
Kerori felt a hum of gratitude murmur through her, and calmed as she smiled unconsciously.
Jazz lifted his injured hand, and paused as he forgot about the pain and stared at it dumbly. Balam-sensei set some first aid items down nearby on a standing tray, and tugged the teen's injury to himself as he unwrapped it with a hum.
It was a bit deeper than he'd hoped, but Balam-sensei wasn't too worried about a full recovery. A few stinging dabs of disinfectant, a healing balm with a little bit of numbing agent in it, and the teen's hand was wrapped up nice and tidy.
Jazz nodded his thanks to the teacher before he grasped Iruma's hand near him and felt relief flood through him.
He could sense the Magic now, how it was swirling a little chaotically, yet Kerori was making an effort to help re-regulate it within his brother's veins, and he joined in the effort now that he understood it.
Allocer watched with interest as he turned to Balam-sensei to ask about the finer details of adoption as this path made sense to him as well, but if this was the result, he would certainly prefer to be prepared and have Balam-sensei personally observe the situation from start to finish.
Kerori piped in on their discussion occasionally, also more than happy to assist with her brand of Magic to ensure Iruma wouldn't suffer any negative effects from overheating.
It was twenty five minutes after Iruma had blacked out that he snapped back into awareness with a small gasp. He gripped Jazz's hand hard in shock, startling him as they stared at one another in an intense silence before Iruma relaxed into sleepiness. "Oh."
Jazz blinked while Kerori shifted to lean on her elbow and look down at him incredulously, "Just- Oh?!"
Iruma was confused by her presence for a moment before snorting with a small smile, "This was different."
Balam-sensei moved closer to him in fascination, taking out a notebook while Jazz helped Iruma sit up as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Iruma leaned towards him, and Jazz shifted to accommodate his weight as Iruma relaxed tiredly against him, "I met you, I guess."
He got some interesting looks from his turn of phrase as Balam-sensei settled into his stool and began to write. "When you say you met Jazz, do you mean a version of him that is as he is now, or before?"
Iruma cupped his chin in thought, while Kerori's cool hand settled on his lower back comfortably. "No. I guess- his Magic? It was just… him. I'm not sure I can really explain it well enough."
Balam-sensei hummed. He thought over what accounts were recorded about orphans being adopted, but these sorts of rituals weren't common in teenagers, so records at their present age were scarce.
It seemed they felt like it was a weakness, and tended to give very little in detail about their experience.
Balam-sensei rubbed at his chin, "Well. I suppose there's no harm in letting you process it. Perhaps, if you're able to later tonight, to think over what happened and write about it in a journal?"
Iruma hummed before he nodded, "That might work."
Everything after that became an odd blur of sound as Iruma simply allowed the world to exist around him as he zoned out.
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It was later in the afternoon while Iruma was being fawned over by Asmodeus and Clara that he received an unlikely text from Agares. He puzzled at it as he responded, before being distracted by a strange pull.
It wasn't like what happened with Jazz earlier. It was like somethingsomeone was trying to take his full attention, and it was so hot that he couldn't ignore it.
He met Asmodeus's magenta eyes and connected the feeling of passion that was prodding him, and he couldn't help but feel flustered. "Uhm, Azz-kun, Clara, Agares wanted to talk with me." He nearly swallowed, his throat feeling dry from the foreign feelings rolling in his gut.
This particular shift was abrupt, but he knew it was the effect of having taken in so much blood, and it made him a little frightened to know that he had so much more to take in.
He would finish this though, because he had no desire to keep pushing his feelings awkwardly onto his classmates.
Asmodeus nodded while Clara pouted cutely and nodded as well, "Okie Iruma-chi! Come back soon though, okay?"
"And if anything happens to you, I'll roast whoever caused it."
Iruma chuckled softly, fully aware of how literal Asmodeus was being before kissing Clara on the forehead, and giving Asmodeus a swift deeper kiss before running off.
He was slightly out of breath from it, but he now had a better understanding of the concern everyone had for him in regards to the situation with Asmodeus. He needed to try and sate his passion in pieces, or else it was going to boil over and he was going to be devoured by it.
Naivete had its place, but his continued ignorance would have caused him far too great of an emotional upheaval to ignore. Iruma gripped his tie for a moment to ground himself as he paused and allowed himself to breathe. He closed his eyes and simply examined his own condition.
He was still a little… warm, but nowhere near how he'd been earlier. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either, and he could feel the Magic he'd been building lazily hum along his veins.
Iruma opened his eyes and continued to make his way to the Nap room before knocking, "Agares?"
There was a dramatically long yawn before Agares warbled, "C'me in."
Iruma smiled to himself as he opened the door, only slightly surprised that Gaap was there with him as he closed it behind him and settled comfortably on the floor, "What's up?"
Agares sighed before waving his hand, "You explain."
Gaap shriveled into himself as his… hair? Horns? Drooped along with the rest of him, "Iruma-dono… I… I can't give you my blood."
Iruma blinked. He wasn't hurt by the thought, but he was surprised, "That's alright, Gaap-kun."
Gaap gripped his knees as he vehemently shook his head, "No it is not. It would be dishonorable for me to leave things as they are, yet, because of my family's circumstances, my hands are tied, de gozaru.
Iruma puzzled for a moment, glancing at Agares before offering, "So a lover's pact, or a Security Devil's pact aren't viable options?"
Both demons were surprised he even mentioned the first, but Gaap simply nodded, "Unfortunately, no, de gozaru."
Iruma hummed, "What about adopting me as your brother?" Gaap hunched further into himself, as if that were even possible, and Iruma knew that was a definite no. "Can you… tell me your circumstances then?"
Gaap was silent for a long moment before quietly stating the problem, "I have to have Clan approval… and… our true appearance is that of mind twisting madness. We… we can't share our blood with those not chosen."
Iruma tilted his head in confusion as he tried to puzzle the situation out. He could understand where Gaap was coming from to a degree, even if his explanation was still rather vague… but… "What if… what if you gave Agares some of your blood, and then he gave me his? Sort of like… a pseudo adoption, but without involving your parents?"
Agares and Gaap balked at the idea before Agares truly thought about it.
It would take care of two hellbirds with one stone- He would gain immunity from Gaap's appearance, making it even more likely he could prevent what happened during the Heartbreaker from happening again while keeping his promise, as well as finish whatever this was with Iruma in one shot.
Sure, he risked tying himself twice over, but what the hell. He shrugged, "Sure, why not."
Gaap turned to his friend and nearly choked, "But Agares-dono!"
Agares looked at him and huffed, "Seems like as good of a plan as we can hope for, with the circumstances."
Gaap was silent for a long moment before exhaling wearily, "Then we must do this now, or else I'll never be able to go through with it."
Iruma was startled. He hadn't meant to push them, but both demons swiftly cut their fingers before he could stop them from exchanging blood. He watched with bated breath as they reacted to the effect of their impulsive choice, Agares reacting more violently than expected as he blatantly shuddered and gripped his floating companion bed... cloud thing tightly. His eyes glazed over for a moment, before he seemed to return to himself and punched Gaap in the shoulder.
Gaap, for his part, seemed even more terrified than the start and didn't even react to Agares punching him, while simply holding the spot as his apprehension got the best of him.
Agares sighed with a gutteral growl lacing it, "Gaap, what the fuck?!"
Gaap curled into himself, "I apologize-"
Agares bared his teeth at him, "WHY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING!?"
Gaap and Iruma stared at him, shocked and equally apprehensive, as Agares tried to calm himself and exhaled heavily. Agares rubbed his face before he slipped off his bed and stomped over to Gaap before hugging the idiot into his chest, "Seriously. You are such a pain in my ass. Fuck, man. What the hell."
Gaap was stiff for a moment before he allowed himself to slightly relax into his hold, "...Ah, Agares-dono?"
Agares squeezed him, his continued annoyance still blatant on his face before he turned to Iruma, "Don't blame yourself for this, Iruma."
Iruma blinked, still somewhat confused on the situation as he rubbed his head, "Ah, alright..?"
Agares's features softened in contemplation before he patted Gaap's head lightly and plodded over to Iruma. He stared down at his classmate, and warred with his own indignation.
It was his own fault he had to do this. Iruma'd been dying when they drank his blood. He hadn't suggested this or asked for the consequences of their actions.
He tore into his flesh more roughly than was necessary, but he was annoyed with himself and Gaap, and fuck if they weren't going to have a talk after they were done with this.
Iruma squeaked and quickly grabbed his injured limb and immediately went to work on taking in his blood before cleaning it. Agares exhaled shortly as he pulled his arm away, "Leave it to Gaap."
Iruma gaped at him, a tiny bit of his blood still staining his lips, "B-but, Agares-kun-" Agares lifted his hand, and Iruma went silent as he shrunk into himself and licked his lips clean, "...Alright. If that's what you want."
Agares nodded, and after glancing between his two classmates, Iruma bowed slightly and let himself out.
The sound of his blood dripping onto the floor was… odd. He wasn't bleeding terribly, but… he was bleeding. "Gaap." The other lifted their head as Agares turned to him and offered his arm, "Fix this."
Gaap scrambled and took in more of his friend's blood before it slowly healed on its own before he could even begin to properly clean and wrap it.
Agares wasn't a slow healer, but Gaap's constitution was… strange, so his saliva helped speed his healing along a little bit.
Agares finally felt the weight of Gaap's blood in his system and gently fell to his knees as he gripped his friend's top and pressed his forehead against his chest with a warbled sigh, "Gaap."
Gaap hesitantly brought Agares closer, "Y-yes?"
"You weren't supposed to take me as your mate, idiot."
Gaap flushed and curled around his friend in guilt as he weakly replied, "We don't know of any other way-"
Agares gripped him harshly into silence, "I know that."
Gaap stiffened again before relenting. 'Oh.'
Agares had known this would happen and had gone with it anyway.
Gaap felt warmth bloom in his chest as he was crushed with a wave of confused feelings as he weakly spoke with tears of gratitude in his eyes, "I'm sorry."
Agares lifted his head and lightly pressed his knuckles against Gaap's chest, "There are worse guys to be stuck with, so it's fine."
Gaap let out a mournful chuckle as he exhaled, relief flooding him as he startled Agares and hugged him close, "Thank you, Agares-dono."
Agares sniffed haughtily, "For the love of Delkira, don't mention it."
Neither of them would want their parents to notice or ask for every reason under the gloom of the sky.
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